The Way We Are Part Four
by Nvrmore
Summary: MWPP Era. Our boys go through their final two years at Hogwarts. Not DH compliant.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer - Usual. And so very sorry that I'm late posting.

Chapter 74

Sirius came home to the usual welcome – yelling and nit-picking. He decided that last year had been so much fun, he might have to try the same thing at home. At least his parents weren't prone to punishing using spells as the Malfoys had been. And really, without using magic, what more could they do to him than they already did. It wasn't like they were going to take him over their knee anymore.

As a result, even the homecoming dinner – which consisted of a lot of "Sirius don't do" whatever and "that's nice dear," which was, of course, directed at Regulus – was rather bearable for Sirius.

The whole first week, in fact, was rather mild. Sirius amused himself by commanding Kreacher to make requests for him from his mother. Making requests of his mother was the only way Kreacher would willing leave Sirius alone. But after two days of requests for stupid things - permission to move from one chair to another while staying in the same room, permission to scratch his nose, permission to breathe - Mrs. Black told Kreacher not to come to her with any more requests.

For a day, he eliminated the middle-man and followed his mother around making odd, stupid requests. She became so annoyed she banished him to his room. Kreacher was torn between not being allowed to request permission for what Sirius did, and allowing Sirius to do whatever he wanted. Sirius argued that, since he couldn't ask permission, he would just take initiative and do anything he wanted. Sadly, to Sirius, his "anything" involved class work and spending time in the library.

He then learned that Kreacher had never been given a direct order not to perform hexes on Regulus. Sirius took advantage of this loophole as long as it lasted which, unfortunately, was not very long.

After his first week back, however, his mother took a trip to Knockturn Alley. It was that night that the nightmares began.

Sirius was standing in the playground down the street from his house. There were several other children there – children he didn't know - ranging in age from four or five to slightly older than he. He was playing with one of the younger kids when the sky darkened and he saw shadows emerge from the nearby trees. As they approached, the shadows took form. They were all familiar – all purebloods, and most into dark magic. Lucius Malfoy was there, along with his cousins, Bellatrix and Narcissa. The Lestrange Brothers, Regulus, Snape, and a few faces he didn't recognize were all part of the group. A chill ran down his spine as the group gathered, their presence causing some of the older kids to stop and watch; but many of the younger ones ignored them, ignorant of any possible danger.

"What are you doing here?" Sirius asked, frowning.

Bellatrix stepped forward. "Come with us."

"No."

Bella pulled out her wand, and the others did the same. "Come with us," she repeated.

"No."

"Fine." She smiled malevolently and then, as one, the group attacked. There were flashes of different colored lights making the playground light up like some bizarre laser show. Sirius ducked and covered his head – until he heard screaming. He couldn't understand it. He couldn't understand, if they were going to attack him, why there wasn't any pain and why others were screaming. He opened his eyes and the sight that met them horrified him. They weren't attacking him. They were killing everyone around him.

As quickly as it started, the attack was over and all the children were dead.

"NO!" Sirius yelled. He fell to his knees and crawled over to the nearest child, the one with whom he'd been playing. "Why?" he cried.

"You should have come with us."

Sirius jerked awake, drenched in tears and sweat. He was breathing heavily. He drew his knees up to his chest and waited. Slowly his heart rate and breathing returned to normal, but the images still played vividly through his mind. After some time, he lay back down and stared at the ceiling. Sirius had had his share of nightmares as a child; that was nothing unusual. So as terrifying as this first nightmare was, he really didn't think anything of it - it was, after all, just a dream.

Sleep eventually overtook him. But when he woke with a start the next morning, having had the exact same nightmare for the second time in one night, he wondered if something was wrong.

He talked with James briefly that morning while in the bathroom. It was the only time he had that was unsupervised.

"James, have you ever had the same dream more than once?"

"Sure, why?" James was slightly distracted, as he was pouring syrup on his pancakes.

"In the same night?"

James shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe."

Sirius decided he was just being paranoid. The second nightmare was probably just a result of the first one, kind of like having a nightmare after reading a scary book.

The next night, however, the dream started again. It felt very real to Sirius and part of his brain told him that he had a choice. He didn't have to just passively watch the nightmare unfold, he could choose a different path. So this time, when Bella told him to come with them, he thought hard about what to do. There was no way he could fight the entire group. He could try, but that would likely get him killed, and he wouldn't save anyone. He hoped that by going with them, they would leave the other children alone.

"Fine," Sirius answered.

Bella smirked. The group surrounded him and ushered him back into the woods. Sirius woke up, seemingly on his own. There was no fear and no terrifying sights. And though he awoke rather peacefully, there was this looming darkness that hovered on the edges of his mind. He fell back to sleep more quickly than the previous night and slept until morning.

The next night, the dream started the same, and again Sirius chose to go with the group. Shortly after entering the forest, he felt a familiar vibrating and knew James was calling him on the mirror. He maneuvered himself to the edge of the group so he could whisper to James.

"What are you doing with them?" James whispered back.

"I didn't have a choice," Sirius answered.

"Well, come on. Sneak away."

"Okay, hold on."

But this was when things turned for him. The first time the dream got this far, he snuck away. But the group soon realized he had left them and they came looking for him and his friends. Upon finding them, they killed them. Sirius didn't sleep the rest of that night.

The next night, he decided to just tell the group he was leaving, to see what would happen.

"I came with you. I did what you want. Now I'm leaving."

"Fine," came Bella's cold voice. There was something in her cruel smile that frightened him and, even though she didn't make a move on him, he felt ill.

"Sirius," Regulus said. "Why do you always choose your friends over me? Over family?"

"Because they accept me for who I am."

"Please don't go."

Sirius paused, surprised by his brother's plea, but decided there was no real reason for him to stay. Anything that group had planned couldn't be good, and if he could get away… the sooner the better.

He had just gotten far enough away from his family that he couldn't see them anymore when he heard shouts and screams. Running back, he saw the group standing in a circle. He approached slowly. They parted for him and Narcissa, who was kneeling on the ground, looked up at him. She was crying and holding Regulus.

"Why did you leave us?" she cried.

Sirius knelt next to them, finding it hard to breathe. Regulus looked like he had been attacked by some wild animal, and blood was pouring from deep wounds on his chest, shoulder and neck. He turned his eyes to meet Sirius'. He looked so lost and confused.

Sirius took hold of his brother's hand. "I'm sorry," he cried. "I didn't know." But the light faded from his brother's eyes and he stopped breathing.

Sirius woke up retching and didn't sleep the rest of that night either.

The summer dragged on painfully slowly. By day, he was assaulted by constant criticism from his mother and the mumbling house elf. By night, he repeated the same nightmare; each night making different decisions that led him further onto a path he couldn't fathom and couldn't avoid. But each step took him farther from himself. He quickly learned the rules of the game. Make decisions that kept him with his family or things ended badly. There were nights in a row where he kept making the same "bad" choice because he couldn't bring himself to do what the dream wanted him to do. The longer it went on, the harder the decisions became, until he woke up afraid and sweaty no matter what choice he made.

Halfway through the summer, he tried not sleeping. He was already exhausted from too many interrupted and incomplete nights of sleep. He managed to stay awake for two days straight before falling asleep during a "study session," bringing his mother's screaming wrath down on him.

Mrs. Black had again made the promise of free, unsupervised time for good behavior, but it was consistently withheld. His mother always found some reason as to why he hadn't earned it; additionally, the more exhausted he was, the harder it was to perform even simple duties to her standard. On the plus side, he hadn't argued or back-talked his parents for some time because he simply couldn't muster the energy to defy them. But his one source of comfort and sanity was also denied him, since sneaking conversations in the bathroom took more effort than he could summon.

After a particularly harrowing week – his second last week at home for the summer - he decided he had to talk to James. Once again, he hadn't slept in days, terrified of what he would see and do when he closed his eyes. He needed a familiar, friendly voice to carry him to the end of the holiday. His muddled brain knew that something sinister was going on and he only hoped that when he got out of the house, it would stop. He had tried to escape, but his lethargy made it impossible.

"James Potter," he whispered into the mirror.

"Pads! Mate! Haven't heard from you in a while," James annoyingly cheerful voice said on the other end. "Oi… you look like… well… not good."

"Thanks," Sirius said dully. As much as he wanted to see his friend, he was feeling very relaxed where he was and he let his eyes close.

"Are you sitting in the bathtub? With your clothes on?" James asked. His tone had a forced joking sound to it, so Sirius opened his eyes, wondering what his friend was concerned about.

His mind was working slowly and he had to look around to understand what James had asked. "Oh," he said. Why yes, he had in fact gotten into the tub without taking his clothes off. "Bugger."

"Padfoot, what's wrong?"

"I'm losing my mind." Sirius smirked some when he said this and then started chuckling, which turned quickly into a short sob. Sirius ran his hand over his face. "James…" He didn't even know where to start.

"Sirius?" James sounded really concerned now. "Sirius, stay there. I'm getting mum."

"No!" Sirius' eyes snapped open. Trying to sound calm, he said, "No. I'm just tired. I've been having these… nightmares."

"Nightmares," James said skeptically. "You're a mess. You're sitting in a tub – full of water, mind you – in your clothes and you can't seem to decide if you want to laugh or cry. What the bloody hell is going on?!"

"I don't know. It's just nightmares. Really. I'm fine. Look, I have to go." He shouldn't have contacted James. Not in this state of mind. James would try to do something.

"Sirius!"

"I have to go," he repeated and let the mirror slip face down onto the floor. He fell asleep in the bathtub a minute later.

He played along with the "game." Every decision he made took him from who he was to who his family thought he was supposed to be. And that was okay, because it was just a dream. That's what he told himself. It was just a dream and he was just saving those he cared about from pain and death. He was standing before a mirror getting ready. It was going to be announced that he was the new head of the Black Family. Each of the heads of the Black families had come and were waiting to give their blessing, as well as a few other influential pureblood houses. He had told them what they wanted to hear, and did what they asked, and it culminated in this. He looked older in his silver and black robes. He looked good, or at least proper, and ready. As he looked at his reflection, he noticed a shift. The reflection smiled, something Sirius could not pretend to do. He was too sick to his stomach from the path that had led him here. Despite "just playing along," he felt he had betrayed everything he believed in and, more importantly, his friends, to get where he was.

"You turned out right in the end, didn't you?" his reflection said.

"Shut up."

"Witty," the other him sneered. "You became what you were supposed to become."

"I did what I had to."

"For what? This is just a nightmare after all. What did giving in accomplish?"

Sirius thought about this. "I didn't have to watch anyone die."

"You compromised everything – like a good Slytherin."

"No, I… No!"

"Knew you had it in you! Good boy." The reflection taunted.

"This isn't me," Sirius defended. His voice was weak. He knew exactly what the reflection was going to say even before it stated it. It was, after all, a reflection of him.

"It is you. Every choice you made came from your head, whatever the reasons behind them. It's all you."

"No!" Sirius said in frustration. Letting out a growl of frustration, he slammed both fists into the mirror, shattering it. Every place his reflection was broken, warm liquid began to seep on his own body. Glancing down, he saw he was covered in thick, red blood. He knew he was dying and it was enough to wake him.

When he woke up, however, he still felt the warm liquid and, in panic, he started flailing, unable to get his footing or even sit up properly. After a minute, he realized he was still in his bathtub, not bleeding to death, yet he oddly felt no comfort. Drained, mentally and physically, he draped himself over the side of the tub to catch his breath. His head and arms hung down, dripping water on the floor, his legs still in the water.

There was a knock on the bathroom door. His sluggish mind figured he had been in the bathtub for too long and his mother had sent Kreacher to fetch him. He didn't move. He didn't answer. Let them wait.

The door opened a crack and Regulus stuck his head in. "Sirius, mum's been calling…" Regulus froze when he saw his brother - fully clothed, dripping water onto the floor, a chain dangling from his neck. The door swung the rest of the way open and Regulus rushed to his brother. "Sirius?"

"Hmm?" Sirius said, sounding for all the world, like he was relaxing next to a pool on a hot summer's day.

"What..? Get up," Regulus urged. "Get up, big brother. Come on." Regulus tried to lift Sirius, but he was bigger and laden down with water. The puddle on the floor made the ground slick and Regulus couldn't get a good enough grip or leverage on Sirius without compromising his footing.

Sirius sighed and, pushing his brother away, he dragged himself to his feet. He stepped out of the tub and stood making the puddle on the bathroom floor quite a bit larger.

"Dammit, Sirius," Regulus said agitatedly. He was afraid for his brother, but didn't know how to push past everything that had built up between them over the past few years. "Mum's going to have a fit!"

Sirius laughed at this.

"It's not funny!" Regulus dried Sirius and the floor with a wave of his wand. Then he stepped forward and tucked the chain back under Sirius' shirt. The last time his mother had seen it, a fight had broken out.

Sirius became suddenly somber. The thought that had been trying to push through the haze of exhaustion all summer finally wormed its way to the forefront of his mind. This was her fault. The nightmares weren't normal. They were far too directed and purposeful. But how had she done it? Sirius reached down and retrieved his mirror, then he pushed past his brother, energized by the mission to find his mother.

"You're welcome," Regulus muttered. He watched Sirius go and decided to follow, if only at a distance.

Sirius pushed the door of his father's study open and found his mother standing there, in the middle of the room. "What did you do to me?" he asked. He was furious and, with the lack of sleep, he was uninhibited.

"How dare you barge into your father's…"

"Can it, hag! What did you do to me?"

Mrs. Black gasped in astonishment. Mr. Black stood up from his seat behind his desk. "Sirius!"

"Don't!" Sirius growled at his father. His father sat down suddenly. He didn't know it, but the depth of emotion and the lack of inhibitions worked together and Sirius was unconsciously doing wand-less magic. He'd caused the chair to slide up behind his father, forcing him into a seated position. The chair continued to move forward so that his father was effectively pinned at his desk. Turning his attention back to his mother, he said again, a little louder this time, "What did you do to me?!"

"What I had to!" Mrs. Black stated firmly.

Sirius took a step forward, wanting nothing more than to ring his mother's scrawny little neck, but he resisted the urge and said, through clenched teeth, "Stop it!"

Mrs. Black's eyes flashed with fear, but she said, in a haughty voice, "Already done. It obviously didn't work anyway. You're a lost cause."

Sirius took another step forward, but decided not to give in to his impulse. Though it was tempting, he decided he'd really rather go to school than Azkaban, so he spun on the spot and headed for the still-open door of the study.

He made his way to his room, catching a glimpse of Regulus on his way. _Git_. "How long did you know?"

"I didn't know anything," Regulus answered.

"Right. 'Cause I'm sure my behavior lately has all been very normal."

"Despite what you may think, the world does not revolve around you," Regulus spat. But he should have known. Sirius was his brother and lived in the same house as he. How could he not have known? Maybe he did and just didn't want to admit to how far his mother would go to control Sirius – how far her sanity had slipped. Part of him blamed Sirius, though. He couldn't help but think, however naively or maybe just ignorantly, that if Sirius was the child he was supposed to be, his mother wouldn't have come so unglued. It was so easy to pretend nothing was wrong when he pretended Sirius didn't exist, because then they were all one big happy family. But whenever Sirius' presence was felt, it rippled through the rest of them. Mum went a little insane; Dad became withdrawn and depressed; and he was left wondering how one person could so ruin his happy existence. So maybe he did know what was going on and chose to ignore it. Let Sirius be punished for ruining his life, because the world did seem to revolve around him. And though Regulus really did love his brother, he hated him, too.

Sirius continued on his way. Once inside his room, he paced the floor, his anger still boiling, but he didn't have an outlet. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye. "What do you want?" Sirius said, expecting to come face to face with Regulus. Instead, he saw his own reflection. Ordinarily, he would have laughed at his own jumpiness. But seeing himself in his mirror reminded him of the nightmare – of what his mother had done. So today, he pulled his arm back and let it fly, packed with all the anger and fear and pain he'd experienced over the summer. His mirror shattered into a million little pieces that tinkled as they landed on the floor. It was a deceptively happy sound.

He looked down at his hand and noticed he was bleeding where a couple pieces of glass had cut him. Feeling oddly disconnected, he examined his hand to see if it had glass imbedded in it anywhere. Satisfied that it didn't, and that none of his cuts were too severe, he grabbed a handkerchief and wrapped it around his hand. Then he crawled into bed and slept.

When he woke up, the first thing he noticed was that he was very hungry. He then saw that his mirror had been repaired and his hand had been tended to. He wondered about this, and vaguely thought it might have all been another dream; but, at least it wasn't The Dream, so he didn't really care.

Sirius headed downstairs to the kitchen to grab some food. As he walked by the formal living room, his mother called out to him.

"Sirius!"

"What?" he growled in response.

"Who have you been talking to?"

"What?" he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Who have you been talking to?" Her eyes narrowed, "And how? Someone came by from the Ministry…"

"What?" _huh. I seem to be stuck_. The thought amused him and he let out a soft chuckle.

"Don't laugh! Someone from the Ministry had the gall to stop by our house accusing us of indecency to our children."

"Can't imagine where they'd get that idea," Sirius mumbled under his breath.

"Fortunately, we had warning, and I was able to clean up your little mess," Mrs. Black nodded in the direction of his hand.

_So, not a dream then_. Sirius said nothing. He was still tired despite however long he'd been asleep.

"So?" Mrs. Black asked expectantly.

"I have no idea. How am I supposed to have spoken with anyone?" Sirius' anger flared again. "I'm never alone. I'm constantly shadowed by someone. I don't have access to our owls. You won't let mail get to me. I'm not allowed near the floo powder… You tell me how I contacted anyone?" He knew perfectly well that, just as he thought he would, James had stepped in. In all honesty, he was grateful. Sirius started to walk away, but turned back to his mother. "How much warning did you get? Is that why you stopped the dreams in the first place? Because you knew someone was coming?"

"Like I said," Mrs. Black responded coolly. "It didn't work anyway."

Sirius walked away, shutting out whatever rambling she was doing. He had days – _days_ – until he was back at school. He just had to hang in that long and then, so help him, he would not come back to this house, if it meant he had to live on the street!

- - - - -

A/N – For those who are interested or recognize the similarities, Ender's Game was the inspiration behind Sirius' nightmares, so thank you Orson Scott Card for your wonderfully written tale.

Thank you to all who read and review and add me to your story lists. I'm extremely grateful. And thank you to my wonderful betas - Mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton. Love.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 75

James was the first to arrive at Platform 9 and 3/4, though he figured that Remus was technically already there, having arrived with the train. He stood next to his parents, anxiously awaiting Sirius' arrival. He had not spoken to Sirius since the morning he saw him in the bathtub, which had caused James nearly to panic. Unfortunately, according to James' parents, the Ministry official who had investigated the Black house found nothing out of the ordinary – after all, a teen still in bed by mid-morning was hardly suspicious. Normally, James would be on the train by now, but his parents wanted to see Sirius for themselves.

Sirius arrived alone at the platform, which suited him just fine. His parents had given him permission to leave early, presumably so they wouldn't have to be seen with him in public.

"Oi, Pads, over hear," James called out.

Sirius grinned at his favorite family and dragged his trunk over to them. Before he got a chance to say anything, Mrs. Potter grabbed him and pulled him into a firm hug.

"Oh Sirius, dear. We were so worried," she said into his ear as she stroked the back of his head.

Pulling away some so he could look her in the eye, though he now stood a good ten centimeters taller than she, he muttered, "I'm fine, mum. Just tired."

But his eyes were glistening and Mrs. Potter wasn't fooled for a minute. She cupped his face in her hands so she could get a good look at him. "Charles, we can't let him go back there."

"Mum," Sirius said, trying to sound exasperated, "I'll be fine." He kissed the top of her head and pulled away. Then he shook Mr. Potter's hand in greeting and turned to James. "Prongs."

James noticed the slight blush on Sirius' face and figured he felt embarrassed, having had to receive help from someone. James rolled his eyes. "Idiot. Why didn't you contact me sooner?"

Sirius ducked his head and sighed. "James, not now. Please."

James frowned at Sirius' seriousness, but nodded. He gently punched Sirius on the arm. "Good to see you."

Sirius nodded back. "Shall we see if Remus is around?"

"Right. Good-bye Mum, Dad." Mr. Potter shook James and Sirius' hand one more time in parting and Mrs. Potter gave hugs and kisses to them before letting them depart. As they walked away, James nudged Sirius in the side. "You had them worried, mate." Sirius didn't reply or acknowledge the statement in any way.

They arrived at their usual compartment, stowed their trunks, and took a seat. Sirius looked out the window in time to watch his parents say goodbye to Regulus. "I'm not going back there."

James glanced out the window and frowned, not really sure what to say or do. "I'm sure my parents would let you stay with us."

Sirius smiled slightly at the thought. "Yeah," he whispered.

A minute later Peter arrived. "So how was your summer?" he asked.

Sirius just glanced at Peter and James didn't reply. He had actually had a really great summer until that last communication with Sirius, but he felt guilty for having such a good time when his best friend was obviously so miserable.

"Alrighty-then," Peter muttered. He sat down sullenly, glancing between his two friends.

After a few minutes of silence, Remus entered the compartment.

"Moony!" all three Marauders greeted him enthusiastically, looking for a distraction from the brooding mood that had settled in the compartment.

"Hey guys," Remus answered back.

"How was _your_ summer?" Peter asked.

Remus frowned. "Yeah, about that… Look, Aden and I broke up." He was immediately interrupted by two "what's" and a curse. Continuing as if nothing had been said by the others, Remus said, "And I do _not_ want you to even consider doing anything to her."

"Now why would we do that, eh?" Sirius asked suspiciously, squinting his eyes.

"Nothing. Just don't. I'll explain everything later. I have to do my duties and I didn't want you to find out from… someone else first."

"When exactly did this break-up occur?" James asked.

"And who broke up with whom?" Sirius added.

"I just said," Remus started frustratedly, but he took a breath and continued more calmly, though he enunciated every word carefully, "I will tell you later." Returning to his normal way of speaking, he said, "I have to go."

As he turned to leave, the other Marauders exchanged looks of confusion.

"Well," Sirius said. "This was just a swell summer for everyone, now wasn't it?"

"My summer was actually…" Peter shrank back from the daggers the other two were shooting at him. "… okay." James rolled his eyes and tsked when Peter finished his statement.

Just then Gillette, Patty and Stacey joined the guys in their compartment. Each of them was smiling and giggling cheerfully, having had enjoyable summers, and glad to be returning to school and their friends.

"So do we have the last three compartments again?" Gillette asked.

"Mmm," Sirius grinned and pulled Gillette to him, wrapping her in a hug, and then pulling her onto the seat next to him.

"Not this time," James answered.

The girls pouted. "Bummer," Stacey said. "I was looking forward to the train ride."

"Well, let's go find some people," James suggested. "Come on, Wormtail."

Peter grinned, glad to have something to do and something fun to look forward to. He had been afraid that the train ride was going to be either very boring or very depressing, or maybe even both. It wasn't that he didn't care about the woes of his friends, but he had been looking forward to returning to them and school and had been taken aback by the unexpectedly bad start of the year.

Everyone left the compartment except Sirius and Gillette, who were sitting comfortably on the seat, her back to his front. Gillette had initially tried to get up to join the others, expecting Sirius to follow, but instead he wrapped an arm around her waist and held her in place, so she leaned back into him. She had noticed, since they had become friends, that he always seemed a little more… clingy… right before and after trips home. She supposed it was a subconscious attempt to get all the things he lacked at home – love, attention, comfort, physical contact. And she let him take what he needed, because it filled some of those same voids for her. It wasn't that her family didn't love her, but being shuffled from house to house, between parents who each had new families in which they were immersed, sometimes left her feeling on the outside.

"What happened over the summer?" Gillette asked gently.

"Mm-mm. I don't want to talk about it." Gillette glanced back and saw that Sirius was sitting with his eyes closed, his head resting against the wall. He looked very tired and worn. "I'm rather content right now," he grinned. Sirius suddenly lifted his head and opened his eyes. "You're friends with Aden, right?"

"Sure, I guess. Why?"

"Did she tell you that she and Remus broke up?"

"What?! No."

"Hmmm." Sirius relaxed his head against the wall again, the rocking of the train lulling him to sleep. Though the directed nightmares had stopped, Sirius was now plagued by nightmares about the nightmares; and, in some ways, these were worse because he had no control over them and, as such, he still was not getting good, solid rest. "Speak to me."

Gillette chuckled. "About what?"

Sirius shrugged. "Tell me about your summer." So Gillette did. She told him about her holiday to Ireland, about Lily coming for a visit, about receiving her O.W.L. marks. She had managed to scrape enough "outstandings" and "exceeds expectations" together to get into the courses she needed for becoming a mediwizard.

It was only twenty minutes later that James, Peter and the girls came back, laughing and making a bit of a ruckus. They brought several other friends with them, including most of the Gryffindor quidditch team, Addison and his non-Gryffindor friends, and a few of the Hufflepuffs that Peter got along well with. In all, they needed four compartments to hold everyone. Patty had even managed to get her hands on a portable wizard radio, so they had music to add to the cacophony of noise at the back of the train.

James and Sirius provided most of the entertainment, at least whenever things threatened to die down. James was glad to see his friend having a good time, though Sirius was almost maniacal about keeping the party going.

It wasn't until after the great feast that the Marauders finally had a chance to sit down and talk with each other. The sixth-year girls were with them. The girls were all good friends, and Gillette and Sirius acted as the bridge between the two groups of friends, though James and Stacey also got along well since they were both on the quidditch team. Lily got along with Remus, as both had prefect responsibilities in common. She tended to remain aloof with James and Sirius, tutting and rolling her eyes at their misdeeds, though it didn't stop her from sticking around.

"So, Moony," Sirius prodded. "You promised to tell us what happened between you and Aden."

"Come on girls. I think the guys need 'guy time,'" Lily said making quotation marks with her fingers. Her tone was light, but the other girls knew better than to try to argue. Besides, she was probably right.

Gillette leaned over and whispered to Sirius, who nodded, and watched her walk away.

Once the girls had left, Remus explained what happened – the bare bones version. "Aden found out how to get into the Shack. She saw enough to become frightened…"

"Before or after you transformed," Sirius snarked, trying to lighten the situation.

Remus made a face and continued. "During, which is probably the only thing that saved her life." He paused for a moment, thinking about this, then shook himself back to the present conversation. "Anyway… it was all a bit overwhelming for her. Between that and the reality of what life would actually be like living with a… well…" Remus fell silent again.

"I'm sorry, mate," James said. Peter and Sirius both nodded in agreement.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Sirius asked.

"You wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. Besides, writing it in a letter… Just made it so…"

"Real?" James offered.

"Final," Sirius stated.

Remus nodded. "Besides, look who's talking about not sharing. Don't think I haven't noticed that you look like crap."

"Sirius Black never looks like crap," Sirius spoke haughtily of himself. "And I, at least, have the excuse that I wasn't allowed access to owls."

"But you had the mirror," James argued.

Sirius sighed. "You want to know what happened?" He looked at Remus and Peter, who didn't know anything about what went on. James really didn't know what happened either, other than what he saw through the mirror. "Basically, the hag found some way to… manipulate my dreams. So I'm running a little short on sleep."

The other Marauders stared at Sirius for a minute, expecting more of an explanation than that. When he didn't say anything else, James said, in an exasperated tone, "'Manipulate your dreams'? Padfoot, you were sitting in a bathtub full of water _with your clothes on_ when you finally contacted me." Remus and Peter looked horrified at the possibility of Sirius being that off, and Sirius looked mortified that James had actually told the others about that. "And then like an idiot you tried to refuse help."

Sirius was looking down at his hands, refusing to make eye contact with the others. "So I wasn't exactly thinking clearly…"

"Sirius!" James yelled, startling the other teen, and causing the few students still in the common room to glance in their direction.

"What?" Sirius chuckled half-heartedly. "It's over now. It doesn't matter."

"And what are you going to do at Christmas?" James asked, his tone still angry.

Sirius shrugged. "Stay here, I guess. Or maybe go to my Uncle's."

"What about next summer?"

"I don't know," Sirius yelled back this time.

"All right," Remus jumped in, wanting the other two to calm down. "Look, we don't have to worry about that yet. The school year hasn't even started. I, for one, am beat. I say we go to bed. We're meeting with McGonagall tomorrow to confirm our classes for the N.E.W.T.s." Peter groaned at this. "It would be nice to be awake for that. Okay?"

"How did you guys do on your O.W.L.s?" Peter asked. He was afraid to find out, knowing that he did far worse than any of them.

"I met the Auror requirements," Sirius muttered, not really interested in the topic.

"Me, too," James responded, still frustrated at Sirius' stubbornness.

"And I met the requirements for curse-breaker. Not that it matters," Remus said in a rare show of pessimism.

James, Peter and Remus had gotten up to head to the dorm. James clapped a hand on Remus' shoulder. "Moony, don't think like that. You coming?" James had turned back to Sirius.

"In a few."

"Night, then," James said, and Sirius waved in response.

He lay back on the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table in front of him, his eyes closed. Gillette walked behind the couch and around the side. When she got to the front of the couch, she noticed Sirius was smiling sleepily.

Sitting down next to him, copying his body position, she asked, "How did you know it was me?"

"Your perfume."

"Ahh," she replied. She sat up for a second so Sirius could slip his arm behind her.

"So, you were telling me about your summer," Sirius said. Gillette picked up her narrative where she had left off on the train. Sirius fell asleep pretty quickly and, once Gillette stopped talking, she also slipped into sleep.

She wasn't sure what time she woke up, or why at first, but as she lay where she was, knowing it was too early to actually get up yet, she listened to Sirius as he was lying next to her. She smiled to herself, but the smile quickly faded when he twitched. She opened her eyes and saw that he was breathing rapidly. He was obviously having a nightmare, and she wasn't sure if she should wake him or not. It didn't matter, though, because a second later he let out a grunt and jerked to a seated position. He planted his feet on the floor and rested his head in his hands.

Gillette leaned forward and put a hand on his back. "Sirius, are you all right?" she asked quietly. She could feel him shaking through his robe.

He didn't answer at first, which worried Gillette. When he finally did answer, it was a choked, "Yeah."

"Do you want to talk?"

"No."

She sat indecisively for a few seconds. "I'll be right back." She waited for Sirius to nod before leaving. Then she dashed up the stairs to the boys' dorm and entered the sixth-year dorm, hoping none of the guys slept in the buff. "_Lumos_," she whispered. She peered at the sleeping faces until she found who she was looking for. "James," she called in a hushed voice. When he didn't stir, she called him again and added a poke. "James."

James opened his eyes and, startled by the presence of a girl at his bedside, he sat bolt upright. "What?" James asked, barely in a whisper. He wasn't sure if he should be concerned or annoyed.

"It's Sirius."

Definitely concerned. Without requesting any more information, James stood up. Gillette suddenly looked away, and he realized he was in his boxers. "Sorry," he muttered, reaching for some clothes.

He and Gillette rushed back down the stairs. He was a little confused, because Sirius was just sitting on the couch. His back was to the stairs, but nothing seemed amiss. He glanced at Gillette who prodded him forward. They both approached the couch.

"Sirius… I got James. I'll… I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Sirius didn't look up and James noticed that he was wiping his eyes in a way that made it appear he had been crying. But Sirius didn't cry. James frowned and glanced at Gillette again. She shrugged, leaned over and kissed Sirius' head, then headed up to her own dorm.

James walked around the couch and took a seat next to Sirius. "What is it?"

Sirius slid to the floor, ensuring that his back remained facing James, unless James followed him to the floor. "It was just a nightmare. I don't know why she went to get you."

James thought his voice sounded suspiciously thick. He bumped Sirius' shoulder with his knee. "Maybe because she's smarter than you." When this failed to get a reaction, James did exactly what he knew Sirius wouldn't want. He slid to the floor next to him. "Talk to me, man. Please."

For once Sirius listened. He told James about the nightmares, the lack of sleep, the constant harping, but mostly the nightmares. He told James about his mother's reaction when he confronted her and about her reaction to the Ministry official stopping by. And he told James about the new nightmares. He paused every so often to compose himself. He couldn't figure out how he had ended the year last year on top of the world and then spiraled so far out of control. But now that he was back at school, things couldn't get any worse. He thought.

James could not remember ever hating anyone as much as he currently hated Sirius' family. Even Snivellus, who inspired such loathing, was at least good for a few laughs. "Come and live with us," James said once Sirius had talked himself quiet.

Sirius rested his head back on the couch he was still leaning against. "My parents would never allow it. They'd get your family in trouble… somehow."

"Your parents don't have to know where you went. Just leave. You heard my mum at the train station. I know she'd let you stay. Dad, too."

Sirius lifted his head and studied James' face. James was being completely sincere and had full confidence in his parents. He both loved and envied that trait in James – his absolute surety. Things were always so clear to James, so black-and-white. So Sirius grabbed hold of the hope that James' confidence inspired. "Yeah, okay," he said, smiling wholly, though tiredly, for possibly the first time since last year. "I have to get some things taken care of, but I'll come… if it's okay with your parents."

"I'm telling you it will be fine. Mum will be ecstatic. She calls you her 'lost son,' you know. The one who hasn't made it home yet." James grinned, though he suddenly felt bad because tears sprang into Sirius' eyes at that and he ducked his head. "Come on," James nudged Sirius with his elbow. "Let's get to bed. You get all girly when you're tired."

Sirius snickered. "Sirius Black does not get 'girly,'" he said and elbowed James back, a little harder than a nudge.

As the two got up and made their way toward the stairs, James commented, "You know, you really need to stop talking about yourself in third person." And James pushed Sirius. A shoving match ensued as they climbed the stairs, but ended quickly as neither wanted to awaken the other boys in the dorm. They both went to bed and Sirius got the first peaceful night's sleep he'd had in a long time.

- - - - -

A/N- Thank you to all who take the time to review. And to those who add me to your story/author lists. That's awesome! Thank you also to my ever faithful betas - Mom, mei mei and J.A.Carlton.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 76

The next morning, Sirius and James slept in longer than Remus and Peter. When they arrived at breakfast, they cast curious glances at Peter and Remus. Peter was sitting diagonally from Remus and was hunched over his food, while Remus seemed to be frozen, scowling at his food. James sat across from Remus, while Sirius sat next to him.

"What's with Mr. Sunshine?" Sirius asked Peter, while gesturing with his thumb towards Remus.

Peter looked fearfully up from his food, then visibly relaxed in the presence of the last two Marauders. "Moon," was all Peter dared to say.

"Already?" Sirius questioned, but then said "huh," having thought about it for a couple seconds. He waved his hand in front of Remus' face.

Remus slapped his hand away, no longer frozen. He glanced down at his food and sighed. "I'm going to class."

"Uh," James began, "Not today you're not. Today we have our meetings with McGonagall, remember."

"Oh, right." Remus looked back up and froze in a position not unlike the one he was in earlier, except he didn't look angry this time, just sad.

Sirius followed his gaze and realized he was staring at Aden, who was sitting with her back to the Gryffindor table. "It's a lot different when she's actually in the same room as you, huh?" James turned around and caught sight of Aden at the Ravenclaw table.

Remus looked down at the table and nodded.

Sirius put his arm around Remus and squeezed his shoulder. "We're with you, mate."

Lily and Gillette came to breakfast at that time. Remus glanced up. "Here, you can have my seat," he offered. "I'm not eating anyway. Catch you guys later."

All five teens watched him leave, identical looks of concern etched on their features.

Gillette sat next to Sirius, and Lily sat next to her. Gillette leaned in toward Sirius, "You okay?"

Sirius nodded, "Yeah. Thanks."

"Did you find out what happened?" Lily asked.

"Yup," Sirius answered.

Gillette and Lily exchanged looks. "And?"

James shrugged. He piled food on his plate so he wouldn't have to look at the girls when he answered. "Aden broke up with him. She decided that she… didn't want to spend the rest of her life with him."

"What?" Gillette asked in confusion. She glanced at Lily, who looked knowingly back at her. Gillette frowned. "They're, what? 15 and 16? Did Remus propose or something?"

Sirius hunched over his food, letting his hair cover his face. He had almost burst out laughing. Though, thinking about it, there really wasn't anything funny about the situation. He decided to let James field the questions.

"Uh…no. But… you know," James fumbled. "They had been dating for two years. Maybe she figured that's where the relationship was heading."

Gillette shrugged. That sounded plausible; though she had a feeling she was still missing something. "It's just sad. They were so good together."

"Yeah," the others agreed sullenly.

"So what are we going to do about it?" Sirius asked. The mischievous glint in his eyes was not as playful as usual, but hinted at something colder.

"There isn't anything you can do," Lily stated.

Sirius continued to stare at James, who held his gaze. "Have to think about that one…" James answered contemplatively.

Peter looked up, knowing that tone meant a plan was being formed.

"Guys," Lily said matter-of-factly. "Remus wouldn't want you to do anything. You know that, right?"

Sirius shrugged. "He doesn't have to know."

"You're asking for trouble."

Sirius grinned. "Has that ever stopped us before?"

Later that day, McGonagall met with each of the Gryffindor sixth-years to confirm their schedules, and the rest of their time was basically free.

During Remus' conference, the Marauders went to the library to start coming up with ways they could exact revenge on Aden.

"Planning already?" a cold, mirthless voice asked.

"Snivellus!" James greeted the other boy cheerfully. "I have missed my favorite form of entertainment."

Snape cast a deadly look at James. "Don't think you'll get away with anything this year."

"And what makes this year so different?" Sirius asked.

"Hmm," Snape leered at them. "You just keep thinking you're safe. I'll see you expelled yet."

"Whatever. Go away now." Sirius made shooing motions with his hand and turned back to the table.

"I know a lot more than you think. I'm going to be watching you closely for any excuse to turn you in," Snape said quickly and then whooshed away, his cloak billowing out behind him.

James frowned. "You think he knows something?"

"Nah," Sirius said, though he also couldn't help but wonder.

Snape made good on his promise to be a nuisance, though, and by the end of October the Marauders had not been able to get away with much of anything. It didn't stop them from pranking, but they more often than not were caught – at least James and Sirius were. And it was taking some of the fun out of things, frustrating the teens to no end.

"We've got to do something about Snivellus," Sirius declared one night, while sitting by the fire in the common room. It was mid-day on October 31st. The afternoon of classes had been called off in preparation for the Halloween Feast that night.

"But what?" Peter asked.

"I don't know…" Sirius said thoughtfully. "But it's got to be big in order to get him to leave us alone."

"Well, when you come up with your brilliant idea, let the rest of us know," James said irritably.

"So have we figured out how we're going to get out of the Feast tonight?" Peter asked.

"You know, I just gotta say… It bites – for you," Sirius said nodding toward Remus, "that there are two full-moons this month, but how cool is it that the second is on Halloween?" Sirius' tone was cheerful until Remus glared at him. "Sorry."

"I don't think it will be a problem for us to skip out. We make a brief appearance and leave." James explained. "Everyone will be so busy with the Feast they'll hardly notice. And even if they do, they can't exactly leave to follow us or people will wonder where they've gone. Right?"

"You really don't have to come tonight," Remus offered. He was looking a bit peeked.

"We could also come after the Feast. It's not like it'll last all night," Sirius suggested.

They decided that they would leave the feast just slightly early, so as not to appear too suspicious. Remus left to go to the hospital wing before the Feast started.

Sirius was halfway through his meal when he suddenly stopped and squinted. He kicked James under the table and gave his head a slight nod, indicating James was to look where he was currently looking.

James turned around and almost dropped his fork. He looked back at Sirius. "Aden's got a new boyfriend?"

"Yup," Peter said casually, before biting into a large turkey leg.

James and Sirius both looked at him incredulously. "And you didn't tell us?" Sirius demanded.

"Well, when was I going to tell you? I didn't want to say anything with Moony around," Peter shot back. This seemed to appease the other two, so Peter continued with his information sharing. "They've been dating for about… two weeks – since just before the last Hogsmeade visit. He's a respectable fifth-year Ravenclaw and all of her friends love him."

"Moony's going to find out eventually. We should probably tell him," James suggested.

"Tell who what?" Gillette asked. She and Lily had just slid down the bench to sit next to the guys.

"Here for dessert, Evans?" James asked suggestively.

Lily rolled her eyes and otherwise pretended she hadn't heard him.

"So…" Gillette prompted.

"Oh, Aden has a new boyfriend," Peter offered.

"Yeah." Lily frowned as she glanced at the couple.

"What?" James asked curiously.

Lily and Gillette exchanged glances. "It's all just very…" Lily searched for a good adjective.

"Weird," Gillette finished. "Aden's actually been on a couple of dates. She certainly doesn't seem to be having any trouble moving on."

"The thing is… She's really flaunting this relationship," Lily continued. "Like she's trying extra hard to prove how happy she is."

"Hmm. Maybe we should help celebrate the happy couple," Sirius grinned wickedly.

"Matching hair?" James suggested.

"No. How about Red and Gold hair?"

"Nice," James grinned back.

"Don't…" Lily warned, but before she could stop them, James and Sirius had taken careful aim and shot spells at the two.

There were gasps, and a commotion at the Ravenclaw table, as their token couple was now sporting Gryffindor colors, while Gryffindors laughed and cheered. The Marauders and company watched as one of Aden's friends handed her a mirror. She glanced in the direction of the Marauders, then stuck up her nose, quite snobbishly, and led her new boyfriend out of the Hall.

Lily grinned briefly, but turned back to the guys. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to dock points for that." They started to protest. "Five points for performing magic at the expense of another student. But, since this is a celebration… I'm going to give you five points for exemplifying loyalty and friendship." Lily winked at them.

James' and Sirius' mouths fell open at the uncharacteristic display of behavior. "Evans," James said cautiously. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Quite."

"I think the punch is spiked," Sirius exaggeratedly whispered and pointed to Lily's goblet. Lily just chuckled.

The guys left later to visit Remus and go on one of their jaunts through the Forbidden Forest, returning in the morning tired, but content.

- - - - -

A/N Thanks again for all of the wonderful reviews. I know this chapter is a little on the short side, but have no fear. The next one is a bit... longer. Mwahahahaha. Oh, sorry. Thanks again. And thank you to my wonderful betas - Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer - Usual.

A/N - I had a really hard time with this chapter. I had a hard time coming up with a believable scenario for what takes place in this chapter. I blame it on the fact that I just can't understand or relate to what would cause the events of this chapter. So, hopefully it turned out okay. I usually don't do this (in fact, I've never done it before) but if y'all want to read a story that gives, imo, the most plausible explanation for the following events, check out _The Truth is Trusting_ by 2FanFiction Addicts (found on ffn).

Chapter 77

Remus had not been happy to find out about the prank the guys pulled at the Feast. He was also not happy to find out why they had pulled the prank in the first place, making him all-around cranky for the next couple of days.

But time went on, and the only hint that Remus was bothered by Aden's new status as part of a couple again was that they would catch him brooding every once in a while.

The cool of October turned into the downright cold of November, without the pleasure of snow. The Gryffindor team was the same as the year before, though James had decided to hold trials anyway, to get some idea of who to look at for next year. It also gave him a quick reminder of what his team could do and areas on which they needed to work. Gryffindor defeated Slytherin in their first match of the year, making them an early hopeful for the Cup.

Snape continued to be a thorn in the side of the Marauders. But at the end of November, he decided to try a different tack. Divide and conquer.

Snape had come across some information on a prank that James and Sirius were planning. It involved Aden and Severus was observant enough to know that this information would bother Remus. Snape made sure that he walked by Remus at breakfast one morning. What he did not know, or did not think mattered, was that it was the morning of the full moon. When he was close enough to Remus for the other teen to hear him clearly, he said, "You might want to warn your girlfriend – oh, sorry – ex-girlfriend," Snape sneered.

"Shut up, git!" Sirius snapped at Snape.

Remus, already in a bad mood due to the moon, growled, "Why?"

"Oh. You don't care that your friends are planning something for her?" His work done, Snape sauntered off and sat next to Regulus, making sure he had a good view of the Marauders.

Remus glared at the others. "What are you planning?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"What?" James asked, trying to look as innocent as possible.

"Not. Today." Remus said dangerously.

"Mate, you really need to get your temper under control," Sirius teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Remus slammed his hand on the table. Then he ducked his head and took deep breaths, trying to calm himself. It was odd. For as calm as he was during the transformations at night, he was still filled with tense, irritated energy during the day. Lifting his head, his eyes yellow-bronze, he ground out, "You will not do anything to her. Do you understand me? I have told you before and I'm telling you again. Do nothing!"

His friends had the decency to look abashed.

"Moony," Sirius said with some trepidation.

"What?!"

"What if we can't stop it?"

"What?"

Just then there was a disturbance at the Ravenclaw table. The Marauders, minus Remus, had left a rose with a card addressed to Aden on the Ravenclaw table. There was nothing written on the note, but when she smelled the rose, she inhaled a potion that made her grow fur, claws, and a tail. It looked like she had drunk a bad batch of pollyjuice potion. She shrieked and ran out of the Great Hall.

Remus stared after her for a moment, then got up to follow her. Sirius stood and put his hand on Remus' shoulder.

"Moony… we're so…"

Remus grabbed the front of Sirius' robes and pushed him into the table. Without a word, he turned and went after Aden.

"Well… That wasn't quite the reaction we were hoping for," James muttered.

Peter nodded. "Today was definitely not the day for that."

"And what were you expecting?" Lily's voice came out of nowhere. She was giving all of them scathing looks, but none of them replied.

Remus refused to speak with them during their first class together.

It wasn't until they were all back at the common room before supper, that they got a chance to really talk with him. They apologized profusely for the inappropriateness of the prank and for going against his wishes regarding Aden.

"Were you able to talk with her?" James asked.

"Yeah," Remus said, sounding miserable. "She understood I had nothing to do with it. She even understands why you did it. She said she had been expecting something since the beginning of the year. She does hope that you've got your revenge out of your system now though… And so do I."

The others nodded. "We're really sorry, Moony," Sirius said.

"I know. Just… today was not the day to pull that." Remus looked tired already. "I'm going to head out."

"You haven't eaten yet," Peter stated.

"Ugh. I don't think I could eat anyway."

"Do you want us to come with you?" James asked.

"No, no. You guys stay and eat. We'll catch up later."

They watched Remus leave. "It's getting worse," Sirius observed. James nodded.

"Shall we eat?" Peter asked.

"Go ahead," Sirius said. When the other two looked at him curiously, he said, "What? A guy can't go to the loo? I'll catch up."

"Let's go. That could take a while," Peter joked.

"Ha ha." Sirius turned and went up the dorm stairs to use the WC.

A few minutes later, as Sirius crossed the Entrance Hall, a familiar and despised voice called to him. "Sirius."

Sirius turned and watched Snape approach. "What do you want?"

"I want to know what you are up to."

"Nothing," Sirius said sounding bored.

"So you're not planning on going out tonight?"

Sirius frowned. How had Snape known that? "Why would you think that?"

"You usually take evening strolls when Remus goes 'home.'"

"You don't know anything," Sirius retorted, though he wondered what exactly Snape did know.

"You guys got into a fight today."

"Yeah. So?"

"I know it has something to do with that tree. I've seen you enter it."

A sudden idea came to Sirius and he knew exactly how he was going to get Snivellus off their case.

When Sirius entered the Great Hall, he was grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"What are you so happy about?" James asked.

"I finally figured out how to get Snivellus off our case."

"Oh?" James asked, flashing a matching mischievous grin. "How?"

As Sirius helped himself to some of the food on the table, he said casually, "I told him how to get into the tree."

James froze, his fork half lifted to his mouth. "You did what?!" Peter's eyes kept shifting between James and Sirius. He wondered what was going to happen.

"Yeah. I told Snivellus how to get into the tree." Sirius chuckled quietly. "I wish I was there to see it. He'll probably scream like a girl." Sirius donned the expression he used to wear when imagining terrible things happening to his mother. "Maybe he'll get mauled."

James' face blanched and suddenly he was sprinting for the exit.

Peter hesitated for only a moment before following James.

"What?" Sirius watched them go. After a short amount of time, he decided to follow his friends. He didn't want to be the only one who didn't get to see what happened. As he jogged toward the tree, he saw James pacing frantically back and forth. James couldn't get any closer to the tree than he already was. But then Peter arrived.

"Wormtail, the knot." James ordered. Sirius watched as Peter transformed into the very familiar rat and dart toward the tree. He knew exactly where to go and froze the branches.

"Nothing's going to happen, Prongs," Sirius called after James, finally close enough to be within speaking distance.

"How do you know that? How can you possibly know that?" James demanded, then he darted forward again, practically diving into the tunnel. Sirius saw the swish of a tail just before the darkness swallowed James.

James' night vision was much better as the stag, but still Snape wasn't in sight. After far too long, he finally caught sight of him. James waited just a little longer, closing the gap between them. But James realized that Snape was nearly at the door, and changed back into human form. "Snivellus! Snape! Stop!"

Snape looked back, surprised by the interruption. He thought James was there to prevent him from finding out whatever secret lay beyond the door. He sneered at James before turning his back on him, reaching for the door knob and turning it.

It was locked. "_Alohamora_," he said calmly and heard the telltale click of the lock. This time, when he turned the knob, the door creaked open.

James just reached Snape as the door began to open. He pushed Snape with all his might into the wall of the tunnel to get him out of the way, and hopefully stun him long enough to keep him from interfering. James saw, through the partly opened door, the bounding form of the werewolf coming straight at them. James hurled a stunning charm at him, not sure if the stunning charm would have any effect on the magical creature. As he did so he yanked the door closed with all his might.

James heard a loud thud and felt the door vibrate with impact. Then a howl pierced the near silence of the tunnel. He had made it in time. He turned toward Snape and offered his hand to help the teen off the floor.

Snape ignored the hand and got himself to his feet. "You… You…" Snape stuttered while still staring at the door.

James bent over and rested his hands on his knees, finally giving in to the need to catch his breath.

"You… You… You tried to kill me!" James watched in amazement as Snape's features morphed from terror to rage and hatred. Snape took off running.

"Well… no need… to thank… me," James said sarcastically between breaths. He took one last deep breath before taking off after Snape. He had to catch him before Snape could blab to anyone about what he had seen.

"Snape! Wait!" James pleaded. But Snape kept running.

Snape darted out of the tunnel and was quickly followed by James. Both Peter and Sirius were in human form, with Peter sitting on the knot waiting for James and Snape to return. It had actually been Sirius that told Peter to become human and not enter the tunnel after James as they would need to be able to get Snape back out of the tree, and he didn't want Snivellus to find out about their animagi forms. Still, they were surprised by the sudden exit of the other two teens as well as the fact that neither slowed down once they were out. Rather, they continued toward the castle.

Sirius and Peter ran to catch up with James.

"So?" Sirius asked. James glanced at him, anger flashing in his eyes. "I told you nothing would happen."

With this, James suddenly stopped. He grabbed Sirius by the robes. "You stupid son of a…" but the last word was cut off due to the effort James exerted to push Sirius away.

Sirius landed on his rear and looked up at James with a stunned expression on his face.

James shook his head and took off running again after Snape.

Sirius got up and followed again.

"Snape, stop!" James called again once they had entered the castle. His yell reverberated off the stone walls.

"No!" Snape finally called back. "Oh, you're expelled for sure this time! You tried to murder me!"

"Murder," Sirius muttered. Unfortunately for him, he was confused and nervous and that made him chuckle.

James stopped again, abruptly. "Shut up!"

Sirius' mouth clamped closed and they ran in silence, following Snape. It wasn't long until they recognized where they were headed. Around the next corner, they would be in a corridor with a dead end. Sitting there at the end of the hall was a stone gargoyle.

Snape started spouting off various types of candies until finally the gargoyle sprang to life and revealed a revolving staircase. He hopped on and rode to the top. He was about half-way up, he knew, when he heard the others start climbing the stairs as well.

By the time James, Sirius and Peter made it to the top, Snape was banging on the door at the opposite end of a receiving room.

The door opened and a very calm-looking Headmaster stood, waiting.

Immediately, everyone broke out into chatter so it was impossible to make out what anyone was saying. Professor Dumbledore held up his hand, effectively silencing them all. "I believe Mr. Snape arrived first. I will speak with him. Alone. You three, take a seat."

The door closed after Snape entered the office and the other three teens sat in tense silence in their seats. Finally, Sirius couldn't take it anymore. "What happened?"

James glared at him. Sirius sounded regretful for the first time that evening. "Your brilliant plan nearly got us killed," James said in a harsh whisper. Sirius paled slightly. "And now he knows Remus is a werewolf and might tell the whole school."

"He won't do that," Sirius said, feeling slightly ill.

"How do you know?" James bit back.

"Dumbledore won't let him."

James snorted once in disbelief, but before he could say anything, the door to the Headmaster's office opened. Professor Dumbledore nodded to Snape, who nodded back, though he looked furious. He cast a look of hatred upon the others, the likes of which James had never seen before.

Dumbledore studied the remaining three boys before him. "Mr. Black," he said simply, and motioned with his hand for Sirius to enter.

Sirius walked into the office and looked around. He was impressed, and gazed in wonder at the many items he saw there. He was, perhaps, most taken with the incredibly beautiful scarlet bird that sat on a perch by Dumbledore's desk. The firelight from the torches reflected off of its shiny quills, making the red and gold dance like flame. The bird almost appeared to be burning, though it clearly was not.

Dumbledore saw at what Sirius was gazing. "He is a phoenix."

Sirius nodded. His voice held awe as he responded. "Yes, sir. I know. I've just never seen one before."

"Mr. Black," Dumbledore said, bringing Sirius' attention back to himself. "Mr. Snape has told me a very disturbing tale." Sirius shifted uncomfortably. "Please, sit." Sirius glanced at the chair as if he expected it to bite him, but did as he was told. "Mr. Snape tells me that you intentionally told him how to gain access to the tunnel leading to the shack, knowing full well that a werewolf awaited him on the other side."

_Well, no beating around the bush then_, Sirius thought. He contemplated lying, or denying that he knew it was a full moon, but decided against it. It wasn't out of any particular reverence for the Headmaster, he just thought the Headmaster was powerful enough to know if he was lying. "Yes sir. But…"

Dumbledore held up his hand. "And, how did you know how to enter the tunnel and where it led?"

"Moony…er, Remus, sir. Remus told us… me."

"Indeed?" Dumbledore raised his eyebrow at Sirius. "Mr. Lupin must trust you deeply."

Sirius felt like he'd just been sucker punched. In fact, he couldn't breathe. Instead, he nodded.

"Very well. I will consider what has happened and speak with your other friends before I decide on your final punishment. I will say, however, that the graveness of this infraction may leave me with no choice but to expel you – especially considering your record."

Sirius still hadn't breathed and he was beginning to feel faint.

"Mr. Black."

The calling of his name drew his attention to the need for air and he started breathing again. "Yes sir."

Dumbledore sighed. "Very well. You are dismissed."

Sirius stood and turned to leave. His hand rested on the doorknob for a second before he turned back to Professor Dumbledore. "Professor."

"Yes, Mr. Black."

"The others… James, Remus and Peter… none of them knew what I had done until I told them. I… I just thought you should know." Sirius caught a glimpse of what might have been approval in the Headmaster's gaze.

"Very good, Mr. Black."

Sirius nodded and then left. He glanced at James and Peter on his way out, but neither of them looked back at him. As he headed down the steps, he heard Dumbledore call James into his office. Sirius waited in the hall for the other two to arrive. When they did, however, they walked past him without giving him a second glance.

"Prongs," Sirius called. "James."

"Don't! I don't want to hear it."

"Where are you going?" Sirius asked timidly.

"To be with our friend." Sirius took a step toward them. "You are not welcome," James said, without looking back. "Not tonight."

- - - - -

A/N - Thanks again to all who have read and reviewed. Thanks also to all of you who have added me or the story to your alerts and/or favorites lists. You're awesome! Thank you, also, to my extraordinary betas - Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton. Love ya.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 78

When Remus woke up the next afternoon, he saw James and Peter sitting in the chairs waiting for them. They smiled in greeting, but there was something very tense about the atmosphere not to mention that Sirius was conspicuously absent. Remus thought back over the previous evening to try to remember if something had happened. He realized he couldn't remember Sirius being around then, either. He also remembered catching a glimpse of door and…Snape? "What happened?" he asked, fearing the worst.

James gave a rundown of what had happened the previous night. Peter made filler, and sometimes spiteful, comments, capitalizing on Sirius' fall from grace and James' anger, but he added no details to the story. Just as James was finishing his tale, Professor Dumbledore stepped into the room and headed for Remus.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Pettigrew. So nice to see you visiting your friend. I see Mr. Black is absent." None of the teens said anything, so he continued. "I wish to speak with Mr. Lupin, if you please."

James and Peter stood and said farewell to Remus before leaving.

Dumbledore watched as they went to the waiting area and no farther. He smiled. "You have some very loyal friends, Mr. Lupin."

"Yes, sir."

"I presume you know why I am here."

Remus looked at his hands, "Yes sir. It's about last night."

"That's right."

"Will I be leaving?" Remus asked, his second-worst nightmare about to come true.

"Not for any reason I can fathom, Mr. Lupin. Are you not satisfied here?"

"No sir. I mean, yes sir. I mean… Yes I'm satisfied here. I just thought…"

"Mr. Snape has agreed not to mention your… peculiarity to anyone."

"Oh." Remus let relief wash over him, but then he wondered why Dumbledore was there. Or had he just come to reassure him?

"I have spoken with Mr. Black. I have also spoken with Mr. Potter and Mr. Pettigrew. I am assured by all three that Mr. Black acted alone in perpetrating the offense."

"O-kay," Remus acknowledged that he was listening, though he had no idea where Dumbledore was going with this.

"I wish to discuss with you Mr. Black's punishment. You see, the crime was committed against you as well as Mr. Snape. I am very clear about Mr. Snape's wishes regarding Mr. Black. I'd like to know yours."

Remus frowned. "I don't know. Detention, I guess."

"Indeed."

Remus was actually thinking that the Marauders could probably find much more interesting ways of punishing Sirius than anything the faculty could come up with, but he wasn't going to say that.

Dumbledore sat contemplatively for another minute before getting up to leave.

"Professor."

Dumbledore turned toward his student. He watched as Remus rummaged through his clothes and pulled out his prefect's badge. The boy looked at the badge for a moment before holding it out to him. "I have not asked for your resignation, Remus," Dumbledore said sadly.

"I know, sir, but… I just don't think I can properly perform my duties as a prefect and still leave once a month."

Dumbledore looked at Remus thoughtfully, the tips of his fingers making a pyramid. "Is it because you're a werewolf, or because of your friends?"

Remus looked at the floor and considered this. Then, returning his gaze to Dumbledore he said, "Both, maybe… sir."

Dumbledore sighed heavily. "Very well. And who would you recommend to replace you."

This did not take much thought on Remus' part, "James, sir. James Potter."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrow. "And why Mr. Potter?"

"He's a good man. And he can be responsible, when he wants to be. You should see how he handles the quidditch team. And I don't know of anyone who doesn't listen to him. He's a natural leader."

Dumbledore held up his hand to prevent Remus from continuing. "Very well. I will take that into consideration. Thank you, Mr. Lupin." Dumbledore motioned for the two waiting teens to rejoin their friend. They stayed with him until Madam Pomfrey released him that evening.

As Remus headed back to the Gryffindor common room with James and Peter, he thought about all the things that had happened. The more he thought, the more hurt and angry he became. How could Sirius do this to him? He'd betrayed his trust, not only by almost exposing him to the public, but Remus could have hurt or even killed someone.

Remus stepped into the common room and sought out Sirius, intending to confront him. When he spotted Sirius talking with Gillette, he walked purposefully up to him. Sirius stood when he saw Remus approach, but before he could do anything, Remus punched him – a solid, right-hook to the jaw.

James grabbed Remus to prevent him from hitting Sirius again.

"Remus!" Lily yelled. "What is going on?"

But Remus was staring at Sirius, waiting - waiting for anything – for some kind of response or reaction.

Sirius had taken the hit, but he didn't try to retaliate, nor did he make eye contact with Remus.

"Remus, you're a prefect! I would expect…" Lily said, but she was cut off.

"Not anymore," Remus snarled. Sirius' eyes finally snapped up and met his. Remus jerked himself free of James and, breaking eye contact, stormed up the stairs. After a moment, there was the sound of something dragging then Remus pushed Sirius' trunk down the stairs. "And I'm not sleeping in the same room as him!" he said, pointing at Sirius.

The common room had fallen into stunned silence. A few of the younger students chuckled, thinking this must be part of some elaborate prank; but when all of the older students remained quiet, the younger ones quieted too.

Peter and James turned away from Sirius and left him standing in the crowded common room, alone.

"Sirius?" Lily asked hesitantly. This was big. This was huge. She had seldom ever seen any of the quartet fight, but when quarrels had broken out, Sirius and James stood side-by-side. For James to turn his back on Sirius… She couldn't help but wonder what had happened. She knew that Sirius had been speaking with Gillette and wondered if it was related.

Sirius stared at the steps a few moments, then he headed toward the portrait hole and left.

Over the course of the next couple of days, Sirius spent a lot of time with Gillette and, by default, Lily and their friends, though never in the common room.

One evening, when Sirius was with Gillette, Lily approached James in the common room. "Potter, we need to talk." Her voice was forceful, but not unkind.

"I didn't do it," James put his hands up defensively. "At least, I don't think I did."

"Just… come on, please. We have to talk."

James shrugged and nodded to Remus and Peter, "I'll catch you later." He followed Lily for quite some time, neither of them saying anything, and he wondered what this was all about. They rarely spoke to each other in public since the scene by the lake last year – except when Lily was giving him a nice chewing-out about something, or when they were hanging out in the common room with all of their other friends. Why would she want to talk in private… unless this was about Sirius. "Evans, what do you want to talk about?" James asked, suddenly stopping.

"Sirius."

James did an about face and began walking back to the common room.

"Potter… James…"

The use of his name made James stop and turn toward her. She had never, that he could recall, used his name in conversation.

"Please."

"What? Does he have you doing his begging now?" he asked angrily.

"He shouldn't have to beg," she shot back, just as angrily. "And no, he doesn't even know I'm talking to you. Nor did he ask me to."

"Fine." James continued to follow Lily to wherever she was going. It looked to be the Room of Requirement. An uneasy silence settled between them.

She did, indeed, lead him to the Room. She paced three times before the door and entered. The accommodations were simple – two armchairs facing each other and enough light for them to see each other. She sat down in one, curling her legs beneath her, and waited for James to sit in the other. "Look, I don't know what Sirius did to you..."

"He almost got two - no make that three - people killed."

Lily frowned. "Three? He only mentioned one."

James was surprised that Lily knew that much, and more surprised that she was still willing to defend him. "That's probably because he still doesn't get what he did."

"Have you explained it to him, or just yelled at him?"

James glared at Lily. He hadn't bothered to lay it out because Sirius should have known, though he did have a habit of ignoring certain facts when they didn't fit with how he wanted the world to be, something James could never understand considering his family life. Was it possible Sirius really had overlooked all of the consequences?

"James."

_Twice in one day…_

"Gillette told me that she… told you about my sister, Petunia."

James frowned, confused by the change of topic.

"When my parents died, Petunia was the only family I had left. Two of my grandparents died before I was born, the other two when I was a child. My family is originally from Keswick, so we seldom ever saw our cousins or aunts and uncles. I thought… I'd hoped… that Petunia and I would become closer than ever. But instead, she blamed me for our parents' deaths." James nodded; he had known Petunia had turned against her. "After that, I became… scared. I half expected that anything I did wrong would drive my friends away. That if I did anything to hurt them, they would walk away from me." Lily smiled a small, sad smile. "I'm very blessed to have the friends I do - Gillette and Patty and Stacey. They have all been very understanding. Even Remus and, of late, Sirius." At this, James looked away, anger and jealousy bubbling up in his stomach. "Sirius and I…" James gripped the arms of his chair. He didn't think he could hear what was coming next. "We have something in common." James hadn't expected that, and he looked back up at Lily. "Sirius lost a brother for nothing more than believing something different. Sirius lost a brother for being who he was – just like I lost my sister. Now that he's actually done something wrong, he believes he's lost you as well." Lily watched James as she let her words sink in. He appeared to be swinging violently from one emotion to another, though he kept his mouth shut through it all.

She continued. "Do you know where he's been sleeping at night?" James shook his head slowly. "In the Shrieking Shack. He says you guys hang out there every once in a while… He's even slept at the quidditch pitch, though how he didn't freeze to death, I'm still not sure." Lily paused, watching James' reaction. "Do you get what he's doing? You're the only family he has and that's his way of being close to you. He could easily sleep in the dorm – he has every right to. But Remus forbade it, so he won't."

"Are you trying to get me to pity him?"

"No! He wouldn't want your pity. He wouldn't want you to know half the stuff I'm telling you. He hasn't even told me some of this stuff, but Gillette has been keeping an eye on him. She was worried and didn't know what to do, so she talked with me. So no, I'm not telling you to pity him. I'm asking you to consider showing some mercy."

James knew Lily was telling the truth; she was a very truthful person. But there were other things that bothered James. "He certainly doesn't act like he misses us. He's been spending plenty of quality time with you… and others…"

Lily actually chuckled dryly at this. "You're jealous?" She shook her head. "You're an idiot, Potter. He has done nothing but speak well of you. I think he half believes if he can get me to go out with you, you'll accept him back."

James' emotions were bouncing around again. He never really hated Sirius and certainly hadn't meant for the grudge to last this long. He had been jealous, truth be told, but he suddenly felt immense pride – and guilt – for what Sirius was doing. And he really did miss him.

"As for not showing you he misses you… You know, when you're told most of your life that you're not worth anything, you begin to wonder if it isn't true. Do something bad – make a mistake - and you don't have to wonder any more. Why try to fit in with people you're not worthy of? And you not forgiving him… that just proves him right – at least in his mind."

James leaned forward in his chair. Elbows on his knees, he rested his head on his hands. "How did this get so out of control?" he whispered.

Lily stood up and put a hand on his head. "James." When James looked up, she was shocked to see tears in his eyes. "You have to do something."

James nodded. He stared into Lily's eyes for nearly a minute, trying to gather strength and comfort. "It's not just me, though."

"No, it's not. But you're his brother… and the others will follow you. Remus is remarkably forgiving. I'm actually surprised he hasn't approached Sirius yet."

"Yeah, well… that might be my fault, actually," James replied guiltily. He sighed heavily and stood up. For a moment, his and Lily's faces were mere centimeters from each other. And to his surprise, it was he who stepped away first. "I need to talk with the others."

Lily nodded. "Just don't wait too long."

- - - - -

A/N - Thanks again for all the kind words. I was very encouraged after the last chapter. Thank y'all. Hey, wanted to say a special thanks to those of you who have added me to your alerts and favorites lists. I appreciate that. Thanks also to my ever-faithful betas - Mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton. Love.

Nonair - "Thank you" really is all I can say. Whew. Thanks again for another awesome review. I love how you sum stuff up for me and let me know how it came across - which, it sounds like it came across as intended. Thanks for that. Thank you also for taking the time to review.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 79

Another day passed and, despite having constant company, every time Sirius saw his friends laugh or whisper together, he felt the pain of isolation. When his loneliness finally overrode his pride, he did what he always did when he needed to make things right - he went to the quidditch pitch and sat in the stands, despite the cold. He and James could always talk here.

At the end of practice, James flew over and stood in front of him. He tried to keep Lily's words from the night before in mind, but he was still angry about all that had transpired and Sirius needed to understand what he'd done.

Sirius winced at the knowledge that his friend had chosen not to sit next to him. He figured he'd start off straight and to the point. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" James asked.

The question took Sirius by surprise. "I made a mistake. And it hurt Remus, and I'm sorry."

James was silent for a minute. "You don't get it, do you? You don't… You don't know what you did."

Sirius shook his head and held out his hands, "What do you want me to say? What can I do to make this okay?"

"Just tell me what you did wrong!"

"I told you!" Sirius was getting angry now. "I made a mistake. What more do you want?"

"A mistake that could have exposed Remus as a werewolf to the entire school!"

"But it didn't," Sirius interjected.

James sighed. "It almost got Snape killed."

At this Sirius leaned back in his seat and, spreading his arms casually, he joked, "Like that would have been a loss." But by the look on James' face, and the clenching of his fists, Sirius knew he had said the wrong thing.

James turned and walked away.

Sirius jumped up from his seat and called after him. "James. James! Come on. I'm sorry, all right?"

"You can't be sorry if you don't know what you did wrong."

"Then tell me!"

James turned to look at Sirius, flabbergasted that Sirius honestly didn't seem to have a clue. Maybe he had more of his family in him than James liked to think.

"You crossed a line back there, Sirius. Just because something didn't happen, doesn't mean it couldn't have. You can't just go around killing people!"

Sirius laughed. "I don't 'go around killing people.'"

James continued as if Sirius hadn't spoken. "It makes you no better than… no better than Voldemort."

"What? You've got to be kidding me," Sirius said. But when James just stared back, his smile faded. "How? How can you compare me to him?"

"Voldemort kills people he deems unworthy. And he even finds ways of getting other wizards to do the job for him. You've deemed Snape unworthy of your standards for an acceptable life form, so he can be off-ed. And you were going to use Remus to do it! And you don't see the parallel, there?"

"I was not using Remus to kill someone. I never even considered that as a possibility. Besides Snape deserves what he got. You don't think he's not going to become a Death Eater as soon as he leaves school? Consider it a preemptive strike."

"You can't condemn someone who hasn't done anything. That's exactly what people would do to Remus if they knew. How many arguments have you heard – have you defended against – for locking up all werewolves because of the danger they represent? Do you want Remus killed because of something he might, accidentally, do one day – and deeply regret, I might add?" Sirius listened in silence, James' words slowly sinking in. "Had Remus actually attacked and killed Snape – or me – or even just attacked him and turned him into a werewolf… How do you think Remus would have felt? It'd kill him! And if it didn't, the Ministry sure would. They'd have handed him over to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures to be executed. Use your head, Sirius. You're better than this. You're better than how you were raised."

They stared at each other a few moments, James out of things to say, and Sirius in silent contemplation. Sirius had not considered most of the things James had said. The idea had come to him on a whim. He was fed up with Snape and his constant badgering. He just wanted to scare him. And while he still felt Snape deserved the scaring he got, he had not thought about the implications of what he'd done.

James turned once again from Sirius and left him on the quidditch pitch with his thoughts. The fact that Sirius was silent gave James hope that things would be okay again. Different, absolutely. James had never before felt responsible for another person's life, and the other night he had suddenly felt the weight of three lives thrust onto his shoulders. Remus had to be protected from himself. Snape had to be saved. And Sirius - well, if James couldn't pull him back from the line he was walking - he'd lose his best friend forever.

James headed back to the common room. He wanted to speak with Remus and Peter. He hadn't gotten a chance the night before. After he and Lily had parted ways, James had stayed up for quite a while thinking about all she had said. Though Sirius didn't know it, James had even watched as the lone figure turned into the nearly invisible black dog and made his way into the tree, and had arrived back at the boys' dorm long after the other two were asleep.

When he got back to the common room, he nodded with his head and the other two followed him up to the dorm. Addison was still out for the evening.

"I spoke with Sirius tonight," James stated. "I think he gets what happened. And I know he didn't think it through."

"He always was rather impulsive," Remus said quietly.

James stared at Remus for a minute. Lily was right; Remus would have gone to him sooner had James not remained opposed to the idea. "There was nothing going on between him and Lily, either."

"No. I didn't think there would be." Remus knew that James was finally getting past everything that happened. It was funny how he could deal with things, knowing that his friends would become indignant on his behalf. This was no different. With James carrying the burden of anger, he was free to forgive Sirius - once his own initial anger passed. He knew what Sirius was like, and that he would never intentionally do anything to put him in jeopardy. He also knew that Sirius would never step on James' toes, even for revenge, and would keep Lily off-limits.

"Lily would never go for someone like him," Peter said.

Remus glanced at Peter, then back at James. "Sirius would never try anything with Lily, knowing how you feel about her," he corrected.

James nodded. "Pads is sleeping in the Shrieking Shack."

Remus smiled at James' use of Sirius' nickname. Things were about to return to the way they should be. "Shall we?"

James grabbed his invisibility cloak and the three of them headed out of the dorm.

Peter watched this whole event unfold and he was torn by what had happened. Part of him was angry at Sirius for his betrayal of Remus, though he knew it wasn't what Sirius intended. Part of him was angry simply because the others were angry; after all, nothing had been done directly to him. Part of him missed having the other teen around. Sirius' absence had left a gaping hole in the group – a vacancy that could be felt by all. But now, with reconciliation so close, part of him was jealous and he couldn't really explain why, except that he had spent more time with James over the last couple of days than he ever had before, and he knew that would change with Sirius back.

He tried to focus on the positive. If Sirius could pull such an enormous stunt and be forgiven, surely that meant they could all expect to be forgiven. But he still doubted that he would be welcomed back so easily if he ever did anything to betray the trust of the others. He would, of course, go along with what the others decided if for no other reason than to keep his place in the group. But he was beginning to feel the same paradox with his friends as he had felt with his mother. He loved her; he needed her; he needed to be her whole world; but he also wanted to be free of her. Well now he loved his friends and he needed them. And it was that "need" that made him want to be free of them. But he would stay where he was, knowing that he would not change until forced to – perhaps when they finished school.

Lily watched the guys come down the dorm stairs and wondered what decision had been made, if any. She had hoped to see Sirius back with his friends by now but, then again, it had only been a day. "Potter," she called.

"Evans."

"Professor Dumbledore wants to speak with you." She walked over and handed him a short note that simply contained the password for the gargoyle.

James frowned in confusion. "Thanks."

"We can all go. We'll wait for you in the corridor. Then we can go see Sirius," Remus suggested.

Had Lily been as much of a stickler for rules as everyone assumed, she would have given Remus and Peter detentions, or at least docked points, for being out of the common room so late. James had an excuse since the Headmaster, himself, had extended an invitation to him. Instead, having overheard what Remus said, she looked over at Gillette, and the two girls smiled as they watched the friends leave to bring back their wayward fellow.

When James arrived at the Headmaster's office, he was surprised to see there was someone else waiting to see Dumbledore.

"Sirius?"

Sirius, who had been deep in thought, was surprised by the familiar voice. "P… James? What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question."

They stood, facing each other in silence. Sirius thought if he tried to say anything, he would either lose his nerve or break down entirely. He was saved by the bell, so to speak, as Dumbledore opened the door to his office.

"Ah, Mr. Potter. I see you received my note. I have some matters to discuss with Mr. Black and then I will be with you."

"What matters?" James asked nosily.

"Matters that deal with Mr. Black," Dumbledore said with finality. He then ushered Sirius into his office, leaving James to stew in his curiosity. "Mr. Black, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes sir. It's about my punishment." Dumbledore raised his eyebrow, but let Sirius continue. "I'm just wondering why you haven't expelled me yet."

"Should I?"

Sirius was surprised by the question, and so gave it genuine thought. "Yes sir."

"And why is that?"

Sirius stared at the floor. He hadn't spoken aloud to anyone the full extent of what he had done. Having to verbalize it made it real, gave it weight, and it was crushing. "I almost got three people killed – two of which are my best friends." Sirius paused, still taking in the magnitude of what he'd done. "I betrayed a trust given to me." He stopped, unable to say anything else, but there really wasn't anything else to say.

Dumbledore leaned back in his seat, his fingertips making peaks where they came together, his elbows resting on the arms of his chair. "Do you wish to leave the school?"

"No sir," he whispered. Though he'd gained a new-found empathy for what Remus must experience seeing Aden everyday, he really didn't want to leave the school. Staying was the only way he could possibly put things right, if he ever could; not that it ever worked for him and Regulus. Besides, practically speaking, he had to remain in school if he wanted to accomplish anything in life – like get a job. He was also a little afraid of what his parents would do to him if he was expelled.

"Sometimes, people in charge – those who are assigned to keep order – can do nothing more than that – keep order. And no punishment we dole out can make a person truly repentant. Friends, however, do more to keep each other on the straight path than authority figures. One changes behavior, the other affects the heart. This is not to say there shouldn't, or won't, be consequences for misbehavior. Do you understand?"

Sirius nodded. He knew that any punishment he received from the school would be nothing compared to what he was going through with his friends. Losing his friends was far worse than any detention he could receive.

"Very good. You have a month of detention with Professor McGonagall starting next week. You have also lost your Hogsmeade privileges for the rest of the year, and you cost your house 150 points. That shall be your punishment."

"Yes, sir."

Sirius turned to leave the office, but Dumbledore called after him. "Mr. Black, send in Mr. Potter, if you will."

"Yes sir."

Sirius stepped through the door of the office and saw James sitting in a nearby seat. He had the look of exaggerated innocence that said James had been up to something. But the fact that he knew James well enough to know that pained him, and he shoved the thoughts away. Clearing his throat, and looking at the ground in front of James, he said, "Professor Dumbledore is ready for you."

"Sirius… Pads." Sirius held his breath at the sound of his familiar name. James sighed. "Wait for me here."

Sirius looked up at James, making eye contact, trying to determine what James had in mind. He nodded.

James stood just a moment longer, pained by the guarded look in Sirius' eyes, before heading into Professor Dumbledore's office and closing the door.

"Mr. Potter. Take a seat," Dumbledore said warmly. James complied. "As you know, one of Gryffindor's prefects recently resigned his position."

James nodded, frowning slightly. He still didn't completely understand why Remus had made that decision, but he couldn't blame him either, with all that had happened over the last couple of months.

"That has left me with a vacancy for the male prefect of your year. I have decided that you will be the one to take up the position."

"Me? Wha… Why?" James asked, more confused now than ever.

"Because you are suited to the task. I have full confidence in your abilities, and I am not alone in my assessment." Dumbledore reached out his hand, holding the prefect badge for James to take.

James looked from the badge to the headmaster and back to the badge again. Reaching out to take it, he said, "I… Thank you, sir."

"Very good. Speak with Remus or Lily. Either one can give you a rundown of your exact duties. Good evening."

"Good evening sir," James said, sounding distracted. He turned slowly and left, feeling a bit bewildered. He nearly ran into Sirius, who was standing on the other side of the door, waiting for him. When he did notice Sirius, he quickly put the badge in his pocket. He had other things to deal with first. "Sirius…"

"James," Sirius said in a guarded tone.

"I'm sorry."

Sirius blinked owlishly at James, not comprehending what was going on. "Why?"

"Because. Because I forgot what it means to be brothers."

Sirius frowned and lowered his head. "It doesn't mean anything," he whispered.

James was taken aback by this statement and wasn't sure how to respond. "It does to me."

Sirius shook his head. "You don't have a brother, James. And I… don't deserve one."

James was reminded of what Lily had said about Sirius feeling he had lost his blood-brother and not feeling worthy of having another. There was something heartbreaking about his normally overly-confident friend filled with such self-loathing. He stepped forward and put his hand on the back of Sirius neck. "I don't love you because you're perfect or because you're 'deserving.' I love you because of who you are – idiotic, impulsive prat and all." Sirius chuckled slightly at this. "Besides, I think mum would disown me if I disowned you." Sirius' weak chuckle turned into a sob and James pulled him into a brotherly embrace.

They stood like that for a moment before Sirius whispered, "I'm sorry."

"I know," James said, pulling away so he could look Sirius in the eye. "But I'm not the one who really needs to hear it."

Sirius nodded as he wiped his eyes. "Will he forgive me?"

"Oh, you know Moony. He would have let you back in the dorm the next day. Sorry about that," James said sincerely.

"You were right in what you did. I wouldn't have understood otherwise."

"Sometimes it takes a two-by-four to get something through your thick skull," James said jovially.

"Yeah well… Next time, I think I'd rather have the two-by-four." James laughed and the sound brought a smile to Sirius' face. He didn't deserve it – being allowed back – but there was no place he'd rather be.

Dumbledore stood silently on the other side of the door to his office. He smiled lightly at the extraordinary boys in his waiting room. He was pleased with how things had turned out and, though he wouldn't have wished this experience on any of the boys involved, these were the very things that shaped the future, and at this particular moment, the future looked bright despite the darkness trying to blot it out. The headmaster sighed as he was struck again with how quickly time moves for someone his age. He would have to confront them soon and try to win them to his side. He didn't think that would be a problem at all. What made him hesitate was the knowledge that, once their side was chosen, they would become targets of the forces of darkness, and what threatened to tear them apart today would be nothing compared to what they would face. Did this experience galvanize them or weaken them? Only time would tell.

As they descended the stairs to the corridor below, James wrapped an arm around Sirius. "Pads, you and I have to have a serious discussion." Sirius spocked his eyebrow at James. "I want to know everything you and Lily talked about – at least whatever had to do with me." James grinned broadly and Sirius snorted with laughter. He would have been more exuberant, but he was still nervous about the next apology.

James retracted his arm before they reached the bottom. He had full confidence that Remus would forgive Sirius, but he also didn't want to discount anything Remus might be feeling. So he would wait until Remus gave the official okay to welcome him back into the group.

Sirius stepped off the last stair and stood nervously before Remus and Peter. Neither of them said anything to him, though they were in obvious surprise that he was there.

Remus glanced quickly at James who nodded at him. He supposed he should be angry with Sirius after what he had done but, in truth, he was just relieved to have all of his friends back. He'd already lost so much that he would fight tooth and nail to keep what he had, even if that meant putting up with a little more than he perhaps should.

"Remus," Sirius said, breaking the tense silence, his voice cracking at the end. He frowned and cleared his throat. "I'm really, _really_, sorry. I know… I… It was really stupid – what I did. I'm sorry for putting you in that position. I don't blame you if you won't trust me again. But… I'm just… sorry." Sirius wasn't looking at Remus when he apologized, so he was taken by surprise when he was suddenly pulled into a hug.

Remus pulled back and touched his forehead to Sirius'. "I forgive you," Remus said, then added with a smile, "cretin."

Sirius smiled back. "Saint."

They stepped apart. Sirius then turned his gaze to Peter. He stood in silence, wondering if Peter would be as forgiving as the others, though he had less to forgive.

Peter stared back, and actually contemplated walking away; but to break fellowship with Sirius would be to break with the others as well, and he could not do that. Peter took a deep breath and held out his hand, initiating the Marauder's handshake. He and Sirius went through the motions and he was surprised when, at the end of it, Sirius pulled him into a one-armed hug, melting away his apprehension.

The Marauders walked back to their common room together. When they stepped through the portrait hole, they heard a loud "Squee!" and suddenly Gillette was flying at them. She pulled Sirius and James into a hug, one arm around each teen's neck and kissed them both on the cheek. Then she did the same to Remus and Peter. She gazed contently at the four guys she had just thoroughly embarrassed, and then walked away, beaming. Lily watched Gillette's antics and smiled, both at her friend and at the fact that the boys were four again.

Once the guys settled in their usual places, the girls came over and joined them. Even Patty and Stacey were smiling brightly at the reunion.

There was a flurry of small talk before Lily asked, "So what did Professor Dumbledore want to see you about?"

"Oh, I forgot." He reached into his pocket and then paused, glancing at Remus, and suddenly feeling slightly uncomfortable. Pulling the badge the rest of the way out of his pocket, he blushed and said, "Dumbledore made me prefect."

Remus smiled. He was glad that Dumbledore had chosen James, and as much as he missed the "status" of prefect, he didn't miss the responsibility. He carried enough of that on his own. And he had never been one for status anyway.

Once the shock of one of the masterminds behind the Marauders becoming a prefect had passed, Lily groaned and smacked her forehead with her hand. "Oh, no," she said, feigning disapproval. "I take back what I said about Dumbledore being the most intelligent wizard alive."

Sirius started laughing. The twinkle was back in his eyes when he said, "Imagine the possibilities… A prefect helping us get away with stuff."

Lily stuck her fingers in her ears. "La la la la la la…" Everyone looked at her, wondering at her sudden insanity. "You do realize I can't hear this. I'm a prefect, too, you know." The laughter started with a snort and rolled from there, growing in volume and exuberance until the group – Lily the Prefect, included – was hushed by a fifth-year. They immediately quieted, only to start laughing again a moment later.

Once the laughter died down, James said, "Oi, Moony. I need you to show me the ropes and explain my duties."

Remus held up his hands, a smirk playing on his lips. "No. I'm not a prefect anymore. It's not my responsibility. Get Evans to do it."

"Nooo!" Lily said, dramatically falling across Gillette's lap, who was sitting next to her on the couch. "Why do they torture me so?"

"Mm, think of it this way. It's a couple of hours of bossing James around," Gillette said comfortingly. "Could be fun."

Sirius wrapped an arm around Gillette. He winked at James and said, "I love it when the woman's in charge, personally." Gillette tsked him and gently smacked his arm.

"Honestly, do you think of anything besides girls, Sirius?" Lily asked.

"Food," Sirius answered with a roguish grin. "Now, combine the two and then…"

"Sirius!" the girls yelled to stop him from expounding.

"On that note, I'll think I'll go to bed," Patty said.

"See," Sirius gestured toward Patty with his head. "We're on the same wave length."

"Get a grip," Patty said, smacking him on the back of the head as she headed toward the stairs.

"Bed sounds good, actually," Remus said around a yawn. The others agreed it was late and sleep was calling.

When Sirius stepped into the dorm, he took in the sight of the familiar room. He was home again, and he couldn't have been happier. He'd learned his lesson well and swore to himself that he would never do anything to hurt any of them again if he could help it. They would never regret giving him a second chance. He would prove them right in their decision – with everything he had.

- - - - -

A/N – Thanks again for the wonderful reviews and great encouragement. I love hearing from y'all. Thanks also to my wonderful betas – Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton. Love ya.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Usual.

Chapter 80

The rest of the term went by as more of the usual – more school, more socializing, more quidditch.

James slipped easily into his new prefect duties, finding the privileges more than outweighed the drawbacks of responsibility. Besides, he enjoyed being able to spend time with Lily – time in which she couldn't run away. For her part, Lily was able to see, in the way he approached his prefect position, the leadership qualities and genuine concern for others that also made him such a great quidditch captain. She had half-expected him to lord his authority over the younger students and those he didn't like. Far from it, he found creative ways to keep the students in line, seldom docking points or giving detentions.

Sirius ended up doing double duty on homework assignments since he did a lot of James' assignments for him. It worked out best for both of them. Sirius had to do the work anyway for his own assignments; he just modified it a bit for James. This way James didn't have prefect duty, quidditch practice, and homework to do.

One evening while James was performing his rounds, the other three Marauders were doing classwork in the common room. "How come you never did my homework?" Remus asked teasingly.

"Because you're smarter than James and didn't need my help."

"Hey!" James interrupted, having just returned.

But Sirius continued, "Besides, you never thought my papers were up to your standards."

"Ah, good point." Remus said, smirking at James.

James shrugged, "What can I say? I'm easy. I'll settle for 'good enough.'"

"Speaking of doing other people's classwork… How much are you going to charge for tutoring?" Sirius asked. Remus, who already had years of experience tutoring Peter, decided that once they returned from Christmas Holiday, he would start tutoring other students to earn a little cash before leaving school.

"First of all, I would not be doing the other student's classwork…"

"Right. 'Cause Wormtail does so much of his own," Sirius snarked.

Ignoring the comment, Remus continued, "And second… I dunno. I haven't decided yet," Remus answered.

"I've just had an idea," Sirius grinned. "We should start a Marauders-for-hire business." Remus groaned. "No, no. Listen. Moony, you're already tutoring. And Prongs and I can take the fun stuff. 'Did your best mate steal your girl? We know just what to do…'"

"We are not going into the revenge business," Remus scowled at Sirius.

"Okay… what about just pranks. 'If you have a suggestion for a prank you'd like to see, contact us. We can make it happen.' Or – 'Have a challenge for us? We accept. Bring on your worst.'"

"I don't think people would actually pay you for something like that," Remus pointed out.

James had a far-off look. "I don't know. I kind of like the idea."

"Well what about me?" Peter asked indignantly.

"You, my friend," Sirius said, putting his arm around Peter, "get the P.I. work."

"The what?" Peter frowned.

"You know – 'Want to know if your girl is cheating on you? We can find out.'"

Remus laughed in spite of himself. "You can't do this, Padfoot. It's a school. And you're not charging students for favors. And Prongs – don't encourage him. Prefect, remember."

"Oo, I like that idea better," Sirius smirked.

"No! No, no, no. Dolt."

"Goody-two-shoes." Sirius sighed. "It was a thought."

Toward the end of term, Sirius received a surprising letter from his parents stating he was to stay at the school for Christmas. Once James and Peter found out that both Sirius and Remus would be spending Christmas at Hogwarts, they agreed to stay as well. Lily was also staying for Christmas this year. She hadn't planned on going home anyway, and then Professor McGonagall asked if she would be willing to act as Prefect over the holidays. The school had a record number of students staying for Christmas. There was a rumor going around that many of the Ministry officials who were openly opposed to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had been threatened with unspecified violence if they continued in their stance, so most of them chose to have their children remain at the school, where, presumably, they would be safe. It made the atmosphere a bit tense at the start of the holiday – something the Marauders took upon themselves to rectify.

There were near-daily snowball fights. They built an ice-skating rink and possibly the most elaborate snow fort Hogwarts had ever seen, complete with catapults, guards (a.k.a. suits of armor they snagged from the halls – much to the armors' dismay and complaints about rust), and a flag, which made for an exiting game of king-of-the-hill. This ended quickly, however, when Filch found out about the suits of armor and nearly had a conniption. The suits were returned to their stations within the castle and were dried and treated to prevent rusting. But for days after, the suits still twitched violently when someone yelled "incoming."

The Marauders decided to end the holidays with a New Years Eve party. They chose to hold the party in one of the anterooms off of the Entrance Hall, rather than using the Great Hall, because it was a more intimate setting for the fifty or so students at the school. They passed out hats and wore their 3-D glasses. They gave out Everlasting Sparklers, which have to be magically extinguished, and they brought the wizard-wireless to listen to music and the countdown.

When the countdown for midnight rolled around, Sirius and Remus made sure to box Lily in so that she was standing near James. When they reached zero, Lily saw who she was closest to and put her hand over his mouth before they could kiss. "Not a chance, Potter."

"It's tradition," he insisted, grinning hopefully.

Lily stared into his eyes for a moment, and in that same moment the seconds stopped counting down to midnight. Time seemed to have stopped, as if it had waited for this moment, and it left them feeling like the only two people in the room. With a sigh of consent, Lily said, "Be a gentleman." She would be hard-pressed to admit that she'd waited a long time for this.

James beamed with excitement. Ever the honorable man that he was, he leaned over and kissed Lily gently and quickly. They weren't dating, and he didn't want to presume more freedom than he'd been given.

Lily was surprised by James' restraint, and impressed. She smiled thoughtfully at him. But their moment of seclusion was invaded as the other kids present let up a cheer for the New Year and the promise of things to come.

Just a day later, the rest of the student body was back at school and classes resumed.

School progressed as usual, with the work becoming more intense as exams drew ever near. Remus eventually had to turn people away, for all the tutoring he was doing. James had a full schedule, between prefect duties and quidditch practice. When Sirius wasn't doing homework, he was acting the social butterfly – flirting shamelessly with girls, and chatting about quidditch, broomsticks and wizard chess with the guys. And Peter had started dating yet another girl.

The Marauders had a bet to see how long this girl would last; his longest relationship had lasted a month. It wasn't that Peter had a lot of girlfriends, or that the relationships ended badly. But for the one or two he had a year, there was always something that made Peter break up with them after a week or two. They didn't tease Peter too badly, since James had never really been in a relationship, between lack of time and the fact that he had eyes only for Lily. Sirius also never maintained a relationship, swearing by his youthful independence and not wanting to get tied down. After Aden, Remus wasn't about to try again for a very long time, so he also remained single.

About half-way through March, the Marauders were coming back from the kitchens on a midnight food raid, stopping every once in a while to check the map and make corrections to their course.

Sirius sighed.

"What?" James asked quietly.

"It's too easy."

"What?" It was Remus' turn this time.

"We get around the castle and there's no challenge whatsoever. We might as well not even carry the cloak. We hardly ever use it anymore."

"This is true." James hadn't said it, but he had been thinking the same thing. He rarely looked forward to their midnight raids anymore because there was no longer any challenge.

"I thought we _didn't_ want to get caught," Peter stated, wondering where this new train of thought was going to lead them.

"Boys," Sirius declared. Remus groaned internally, knowing he wasn't going to like what was coming next. "I say it's time we pass this map on to the next generation of Mischief-Makers."

James nodded, thoroughly agreeing. "Right. I say we let Filch catch us with the map – though it will be wiped clean of course – and whoever is clever enough to rediscover the map and figure out how to use it has proven their worthiness of the map."

"And then life becomes more fun?" Peter asked incredulously.

"Because detention is so much fun," Remus responded sarcastically.

"No. It's the challenge. The point is not to get caught. But without the aid of the map," James explained as if talking to five-year-olds.

"Trust me. You could use a little heart-pumping action there Moony ole boy," Sirius added.

To everyone's surprise, Peter spoke up. "I think it's a good idea."

"There's a good chap, Wormtail," Sirius said, patting the teen on the head.

So they set their plan in motion that night (making sure to tuck all their food into their magically enlarged pockets). The group found a corridor near which Filch was located. Then they huddled together, talking animatedly, while pointing to the now-wiped parchment. As soon as Filch came around the corner, he began questioning them angrily.

"Students out of bed? What are you doing here?"

All four of the teens made a good show of acting nervous and guilty. They stammered through various explanations and James pretended to try to hastily hide the parchment behind his back.

"What do you have there?" Filch asked.

"N-nothing sir," James said.

Filch was suspicious of how guilty the boys looked. Usually they had smart answers for everything. The parchment they were trying to conceal must be very important – and probably valuable. "Stealing teacher's belongings?"

"Uh…"

"Give that here." Filch demanded.

James slowly handed the Marauders' Map over to Filch. It was harder than he thought it was going to be to give up the item. He was surprised by his sudden touch of sentimentality.

"What is this?" Filch asked, but all of the boys remained silent. "I'm confiscating this and I'm giving you each detention tomorrow night."

The Marauders left their map behind, in the hands of the very ignorant Filch, each one mourning the passing of the very useful tool. And Sirius and James were right. Their midnight jaunts did become more challenging and they were kept on their toes, learning to avoid teachers and prefects, relying once again on Peter's intel of the schedules, and having near-misses with the poltergeist Peeves.

It was the full moon in April that, while sitting at breakfast, Sirius was tapped on the shoulder by a small second-year Hufflepuff.

Sirius flashed her his most disarming smile and said, "Yes love."

Blushing furiously, she replied, "Sirius Black?" He nodded for her to continue. "I was told to give this to you."

Sirius took the note the girl was holding out for him. He frowned slightly. "Thank you." The young girl quickly walked away, though it went unnoticed as Sirius examined the note carefully. The other Marauders had stopped eating and were watching keenly. After getting nothing from the outside of the note, Sirius finally opened it.

In untidy, hurried scribble were written the words: "Tonight is a good night for a stroll in the shadows of the forbidden."

This deepened Sirius' frown.

James, who had been looking over his shoulder, asked, "What does that mean?"

"No idea…" Sirius glanced around the Great Hall, looking for anyone that might be watching him. Several girls were trying to catch his eye, but that was nothing unusual. His brother was also watching him, and quickly diverted his eyes when Sirius looked at him, but that wasn't too unusual either, considering Regulus and Snape had tried to make it their business to know what the Marauders were doing. Sirius then sought out the young girl who had given him the note. Spying her, he stood up and went to where she was sitting.

"Excuse me," he said, tapping her on the shoulder. She looked surprised to see him standing there and blushed again. Sirius squatted so he could be sure to be close to the girl as he spoke. "Sorry to bother you," he said in a quiet voice. "But who gave this to you?"

Seeing the note, the girl said, "Oh. Um, it was a Ravenclaw. A first-year boy."

"Do you see him here?"

The girl searched the Ravenclaw table. "Mmm, no. Sorry."

Sirius sighed. "Okay. Thank you."

The Marauders spent the rest of the day discussing what to do and who could have sent the note. Should they ignore it or investigate? Being the curious lads they are, that choice wasn't too difficult to make. But should Remus be with them? They decided that Remus would stay at the Shack, in case it was someone wanting to speak with Sirius.

So that night, instead of heading directly to the shack, three of the Marauders headed to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Once under cover of trees and darkness, they changed into their animagus forms. This way, they could approach whatever it was Sirius was being sent to see without being detected. They could scope out the situation and, if it was deemed safe, Sirius could then change back into human form and do or see whatever it was the mysterious note writer wanted him to do or see.

Once in animal form, it didn't take them long to pick up a trail. The scent of humans in the woods was unusual and easy to follow. They arrived at a small clearing not too far in and saw six figures in black robes and hoods standing in two lines, facing each other. Sirius, James and Peter fanned out and crept forward.

"We have already received our mark. You are the next in line," the figure in the middle of one row said in a hushed voice. "It will be your job to lead and recruit the next group. We leave school this year, passing the duty on to you. Do not take this duty lightly. By accepting your position here, you are accepting your place as the next Death Eaters." The speaker hushed for a moment as rustling sounds came from different directions in the woods. But as he listened, no further sound came, so he continued. "You too will receive the mark, but only after a year of faithful service here first. This is your last chance to back out." The teen waited for any indication that the neophytes would walk away. A smirk could be heard in the teen's voice as he continued. "Very wise. These," the figure handed some small object to the three before him, "are to remain on your person at all times. This is how you will be contacted. Failure to respond for any reason… well, let's just say you won't like the consequences – if you live to complain about them." The leader waited a moment until each of the three figures before him put the object in their pockets. "Welcome, brothers." And with that, the six figures unceremoniously left the clearing.

James, Sirius, and Peter regrouped in the middle of the recently occupied clearing. Returning to human form, they kept looking in the direction the students had traveled, as if they could see them moving through the trees back to the school. Sirius was the first to speak.

"I say we transform and chase them back to school. Really. I'll even volunteer to bite one or two."

James frowned at him. "We should follow them. Maybe once they get closer to the school, we'll be able to see who they are."

"What about Moony?" Peter asked nervously.

"That's an even better idea, Wormtail. We'll get Moony to bi…" James' head turned sharply, so he was glaring at Sirius. "Sorry. Bad joke," Sirius apologized; then he mumbled, "At least we know they're Death Eaters this time."

"Transform," James growled, not wanting to start an argument right then. All three did, and Peter was lifted to James' antlers. They followed the six students out of the forest, but they didn't want to get too close in the light of the school. Unfortunately, they weren't able to make out who the six students were. James pawed the ground frustratedly and turned to look at Sirius. An unspoken understanding passed between them. By the time they entered the castle, the students would most likely be well on their way back to their common room. It was still early enough that other students were traveling the halls; they'd never be sure if they were following the right students. They wouldn't be able to find out any more tonight, so they went to see Remus. They could discuss it in the morning.

- - - - -

A/N Seems to me there was some indication in the books that those who had been recruted actually did receive their marks while in school, so sorry for the derivation if that's the case. Thanks again for all of the wonderful reviews. Thank you, also, to my ever faithful and supportive betas - Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton. Love ya.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer - Same.

Chapter 81

The next day, when the Marauders visited Remus at the hospital wing, they told him what they had seen the previous night in the forest.

"You think that's what whoever sent you the note wanted you to see?" Remus asked.

"Seems pretty obvious, doesn't it?" Sirius said.

"Yes," Remus said thoughtfully.

James jumped in, "But I want to know who sent it."

"And why. We couldn't even figure out who was there." Sirius sounded quite disappointed. "I mean, I can probably guess who was there."

"No. We don't want to start that. We have no real way of knowing," Remus said, in a very logical manner. "We don't even know for sure that they were all Slytherins."

Sirius and James both rolled their eyes at this. "Of course they were," James said confidently. "Every witch or wizard that's gone bad has been from Slytherin."

"That's an assumption," Remus stated pointedly. "The most we can do is mention what you saw to McGonagall or someone and let them take care of it."

"I wonder what 'the mark' was," Sirius thought aloud.

James half ignored Sirius' comment as he wasn't quite done with what Remus had just said. "We can do more. We've got the best information-gatherer in the school. Right Peter?" Peter beamed with prided. "Right. So I say we investigate a bit on our own. We can go back to the clearing during the day and see if we can see anything we couldn't see last night."

"To see what we can see," Sirius interrupted in a sing-song voice.

Remus picked up the tune. "To see what we can see." Sirius and Remus snickered.

"Funny. Sirius! How do you even know that song?" James asked exasperatedly. Sirius shrugged. "Anyway…"

"Yeah, yeah," Sirius interrupted yet again. "Into the forest we go… Over the hills and through the woods."

"To Grandmother's house we go," Peter completed the lyrics this time, causing another round of snickering.

James groaned in frustration.

"Sorry," Sirius said, trying to wipe the smile off of his face. "I get a little punchy when I haven't slept in thirty-six hours. At least I don't get cranky." He muttered the last bit while avoiding James' gaze.

"Do you think it was Regulus?" James asked abruptly.

Sirius no longer had to pretend not to be laughing. Frowning, he answered, "I dunno." He didn't say any more about it, but he wasn't even sure if he wanted it to be Regulus or not. If it was Regulus, that meant there was something redeemable left in him and that he was trying to… What? Warn his brother? But if it wasn't, did that mean Regulus was involved, or that he wasn't and didn't know anything about it. With Bella almost definitely being a Death Eater, and Regulus being the favored son, he found it hard to believe that Regulus didn't know more about the Death Eaters than he let on. Not that Sirius would know, since he never talked to his brother any more. The other problem with the note coming from Regulus was that it put his brother in very real danger. Being young and sheltered, it was sometimes hard to fathom the real dangers that were out there. But they seemed to become more real all the time. Most of these thoughts, whichever way he looked at Regulus' involvement, only served to worry and depress Sirius.

"Well, I say we start digging tomorrow. It'll be dark soon and there's nothing more we'll learn just by talking." Remus had a good idea where Sirius' thoughts had traveled and wanted to head them off before they got too far. There was no point in Sirius worrying about it until they knew for sure.

Much to James' frustration, there wasn't much more to find out. The secret was one of the best-guarded ever at Hogwarts. Peter hadn't been able to find out anything. Their amateur investigation of the woods didn't turn up anything, either. And the closer to the end of the year it got, the less time they had to search for answers, between quidditch, exams and the apparition class.

This year, being their sixth at school, was the Marauders' year to learn apparition. Sirius and Remus both turned seventeen the second half of this year, January and March respectively, while Peter had turned seventeen back in October. James, the youngest and oft-teased "baby," wouldn't turn seventeen until summer. This meant that, if they could get the hang of apparition, Remus, Sirius, and Peter would each be able to test for their license at the beginning of the summer. James, who was now being teased by the others about being the last one to test, quickly silenced them by being the first one to successfully apparate into the hoop. Not surprisingly, Sirius wasn't far behind, followed by Remus, though it took them several sessions. Due to the nature of apparition and the possibility of splinching, this was one bit of magic that all three refused to help Peter practice – not that it was possible on Hogwarts grounds, anyway – outside of the specific lessons. So Peter could often be heard mumbling to himself "destination, determination, and deliberation" as if practicing the words would help him achieve his goal, and by the time school let out, he still hadn't quite gotten the hang of it.

The quidditch team finished up a spectacular year with another Quidditch Cup victory, and had a going-away party for Jules. But even the end of the quidditch season didn't give James, or the others, more time, as they now had exams for which to prepare in earnest.

Those also came and went without much ado.

The last week of the school year is spent lazing around, waiting for grades to be given. It's a great time for all of the students to relax and for seventh-years to enjoy their last days as irresponsible kids.

It was during this time that James had the idea that Sirius should transform into his dog form and go about sniffing all of the students to see if he could recognize any of the scents. Remus and Sirius both looked doubtful that this would work, since it had been so long ago that Sirius last encountered the smells, but Sirius agreed to give it a go anyway. He snuck just far enough into the woods that he couldn't be seen and then turned into the enormous black dog.

He sauntered out of the woods and was met by Remus and Peter. It was so rare that Sirius and James weren't together that James agreed to stay in the dorm so that it would not appear suspicious for Sirius not to be around. Remus and Peter were suddenly surrounded by half the girls of the school. Girls apparently love dogs.

Remus rolled his eyes. At one point he whispered to Sirius, "You know, you could probably have turned into a toad and girls would think you're the charming prince of the fairy tales." The large black dog snorted in such a way that Remus was sure Sirius was laughing.

And Sirius played his part well. Any sticks that were thrown for him he bounded after. He accepted many hugs from many girls and took the opportunity to lick them and nuzzle them. Remus nudged Sirius on the side with his shoe when he thought he was getting out of hand, though Remus couldn't help but laugh at his antics.

Sirius didn't spend the whole time with Remus and Peter as that, too, would look suspicious and he was going for the "lovable stray" role. He went around greeting as many of the students as he could get to, all while having fun. Sirius growled angrily at Snape and chased him into the lake, nipping at his heels the whole time.

After an hour of wandering, he found his way over to a group of Slytherins and sniffed around a bit. He was frustrated to discover that he didn't recognize any of the scents. But he committed them to memory this time. He came across his brother in the search. As a dog, Sirius had discovered some time ago, his emotions were a lot less complicated than when he was human. He was happy, by nature, and playful. Seeing his brother up close for the first time in so long, he was suddenly struck by sadness. Without realizing it, he started whining.

"What did you do to him, Reggie?" one of the Slytherins asked. After watching the dog chase Snape into the lake, most of the Slytherins kept their distance from him.

Regulus looked confusedly at the dog. "Nothing." He reached out and started petting the dog, who sat there, staring soulfully at him. "You know, I always wanted a dog," Regulus whispered. "Mum would never allow it, though." The dog seemed to perk up as Regulus continued to pet him. "You like that, boy?" The dog wagged his tail. "You look like a big bear. I used to have a stuffed bear. I named him Mr. Snuffles. My brother told me that the bear was good for snuggling when you sniffle, so I came up with Snuffles. It made him laugh – my brother, that is. He liked word games like that." Regulus reminisced privately with the dog. He sighed and pressed his head to the dog's head, remembering better times between himself and his brother. "So, big guy. Who do you belong to?" Regulus had felt a chain around the dog's neck when he was petting him. Now he examined the chain and fingered it a bit. Regulus glanced at the dog's unusually grey eyes, then looked back at the chain.

Sirius watched as dawning realization lit in Regulus' eyes. They stared at each other for a moment before Regulus abruptly stood up. He backed away as if in fear. When Sirius stepped forward, Regulus schooled his expression and turned it cold. He whispered, "Filthy mutt," and turned his back on Sirius, walking back to the other Slytherins.

Sirius whined once and watched his brother walk away. Remus and Peter came over to him once the Slytherins moved on. Remus placed a hand on Sirius' head. "You okay?"

Sirius stood and walked back into the forest. He returned to his human form and contacted James, letting him know they were done. James wore his invisibility cloak out to the forest and met up with Sirius. The two of them walked back to Remus and Peter together, completing the illusion that the two teens had been up to something on their own.

The Marauders sat under their usual tree.

"It's no good," Sirius said. "I didn't recognize anyone from that night. But I will next time."

"How can you be so sure? You might forget again," James argued.

Sirius shook his head. "Nah. Not this time… But," Sirius paused. "I may have another problem." He glanced at the others. "I think Regulus recognized me."

"Impossible. Why would he ever think a black dog was his brother?"

Sirius pulled the chain from under the collar of his shirt. "Mother and I got into a fight over this one night. Regulus was very likely around for that. Besides, I'm pretty sure he saw it when he helped me out of the bathtub that one day."

"Damn," James muttered.

"Will he say anything?" Remus asked.

"Why wouldn't he? I'm doing something illegal. Aside from it being a great blackmail tool, I'm sure mother-dearest would be thrilled to have another reason to be shamed by her eldest."

"What are we going to do?" Peter asked, in that squeaky voice he got whenever he was nervous.

"I'll have to talk to him."

"When? We go home in a day," James reminded him. "Speaking of… what are you doing for the summer? I thought you were coming home with me, but mum said you weren't."

"I… have some things to take care of first. I'm just going to go home for a couple of days and then I'll head to your place. Believe me," Sirius shuddered, "I do _not_ want to go back there."

"Then why are you? What 'business' is so important you're going back?" James inquired.

"Just… things. Besides, like I told you, if I go directly to your place, my parents will know and cause problems for your parents. It's better this way. Trust me."

"Hmm."

As much as the Marauders tried to enjoy their last days before summer, each of them felt like something was looming ahead of them, whether it be facing parents, the next full moon, or the fact that the war seemed suddenly closer, having invaded the hallowed halls of the one place they each felt safe.

"I've been thinking," Remus said, on their last morning together before the Holiday started. "Voldemort is already recruiting – here… at the school. I… don't think we can stay on the sidelines any more." Sirius and James nodded.

"I've been thinking that same thing," James agreed. "If they're infiltrating the school and recruiting members… well, I think we've got a duty to do the same."

"But what does that mean? I mean… we don't know what's going on out there. Not really. And they don't seem to be doing anything here. So what's the point?" Peter asked.

"The point is to make a stand – to pick a side," Sirius said with conviction. "We can recruit, too. We can start building a network here."

James nodded. "I hear from Frank Longbottom every once in a while. He's almost through with his Auror training, you know. He and his wife Alice. I was going to contact him anyway, since Sirius and I want to become Aurors."

"And I'm sure there are others we could find," Sirius agreed.

"Well, I'm not going to be able to find out much stuck here," Remus said. "But keep your ears peeled over the summer. If I think of names of people who might be willing to help, I'll owl James."

"Right. Wormtail," James turned to Peter. "Your step-dad is a former Auror, he might have some connections."

Peter looked doubtfully at them. "He might. But even if he did, I don't know how I'd get them. I'll dig around, though."

"Good. Well… Shall we?" Sirius picked up his trunk and motioned the others toward the door. "Have a good summer, Moony."

They said their goodbyes and headed home.

- - - - -

A/N Well, I decided to post two chapters since I missed my Monday deadline. Thus ends year 6. Just one more year to go. Hope you all enjoy and thanks for being with me through it all. Oh, and I know that Sirius was 16 when he left home, not 17. You have no idea how mad I was with myself when I realized I messed that up. I don't know why, but it was really hard for me to keep track of their ages. So I sincerely apologize for that error. Thanks for the reviews and adding me to your various lists. I appreciate it and love hearing from you. Thanks also to my wonderful betas - Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 82

Sirius had a plan. He was going to go back to the house for a week. He would convince his mother to allow him to take the apparition test. He would then steal the key to his vault at Gringotts and head to Diagon Alley. Once there, he would transfer the account to one in his name only, so his parents couldn't touch it. He wasn't a qualified wizard yet, but he was of age, so he didn't think that would be a problem. He also needed to talk to Regulus one last time before he left. He needed to know if Regulus would tell anyone about his animagus form, and maybe even see if he could convince Regulus to leave with him. He didn't hold out much hope for the latter, but he did hope that Regulus would honor their brotherhood enough to keep quiet about his animagus form.

At dinner his first night back, Sirius broached the topic of the apparition test. "Mother, can you take me to the Ministry so that I can take my apparition test?"

"You've succeeded already?" Mrs. Black asked, sounding impressed despite her best efforts to hide it.

"Yes."

"Very well," Mr. Black answered for his wife.

Sirius was surprised that it was his father who answered. They'd barely spoken in the last couple of years. Sirius noted the shadow of anger that passed over his mother's face at having his father make the decision, but he was still the man of the house and his mother wasn't going to argue. Sirius tried to catch his father's eye, but the man refused to look up from his food. "Thank you, sir." _So far, so good_.

"Just don't embarrass me," Mrs. Black reprimanded.

Sirius bit back his reply, not wanting to upset his chances of escaping.

The next day, he successfully passed his apparition test and celebrated with a very undignified whoop of excitement that made Mrs. Black's face turn to stone as she warned him, under her breath, that he would be in for an earful once they arrived back home. But he didn't care; he was one step closer to leaving that house for good.

That night, Sirius put to use his recently re-sharpened stealth skills, long after everyone else had gone to bed. He snuck out of his room and down the stairs to the first floor. He was just approaching the study, when a voice behind him asked, "What is young master doing at this hour?"

Sirius spun on the spot. "I was just seeing what you were up to, Kreacher."

Kreacher seemed confused by the statement. "Kreacher is keeping an eye on young master."

"Are you sure you weren't up to something?"

"Kreacher is keeping an eye on young master," Kreacher repeated, at a loss about what young master might be implying.

"If you were keeping an eye on me, why did it take you so long to find me?" Sirius asked. He wondered how frustrated he could make the elf – since his own plans were ruined.

"Kreacher is keeping an eye…"

"Yes, yes. Never mind. I heard you," Sirius huffed in annoyance. "You're no fun, Kreacher."

"Kreacher is not supposed to be fun. Kreacher does what a house elf is supposed to do."

"Right." Sirius stood a moment longer, trying to think of anything that would buy him time alone. Coming up with nothing, he returned to bed. He'd have to think of some other way of getting the key.

The next morning at the breakfast table, Sirius asked, "Can I go to Diagon Alley today?"

"Whatever for?" Mrs. Black asked.

"My broom is messed up."

"How can your broom be 'messed up,' you irresponsible boy? You're not even on the quidditch team! What have you been using it for?"

"For sweeping," Sirius said, before he could help himself. Realizing he'd spoken aloud, he immediately apologized. "Sorry. Look. I just either need a new broom or a broom-servicing kit."

"You can use your father's servicing kit."

"I could. But it would be handy to have my own. Besides, if I go to Diagon Alley, I'll be gone all day… and you won't have to worry about me because there will be wizards everywhere. Besides, you're always telling me I need to start taking on more responsibility. Wonder what the Malfoys' would say." Sirius added the last statement as an afterthought. His mother was big on keeping up appearances.

Mrs. Black glared at her son. "Don't try to manipulate me, boy."

"I'm of age and I can't even go shopping by myself!" Sirius yelled, letting his frustrations get the better of him.

"Fine! You can go by yourself – but you're going to wait until we get your letter. You can buy the broom kit with the rest of your school supplies. You won't need your broom this summer anyway."

With a growl, Sirius got up from the table and headed toward his room. He could hear shouts trailing behind him, but he didn't care at the moment. He had just reached the bottom of the stairs when his mother called him again. She had apparently followed him from the dining room.

"Sirius!" she yelled

"What?!"

"We are hosting a dinner party tonight and you _will_ behave!"

"Let me go to Diagon Alley and I'll think about it," Sirius said angrily.

"You are in no position to bargain," Mrs. Black threatened.

"Whatever you say, mother." Sirius started back up the stairs. He vaguely heard his mother mutter something and then suddenly… there was nothing. No. Not nothing, really. More like his mind suddenly went blank and he really didn't care. Whatever he had thought was so important, suddenly wasn't. There was no worry, no caring, no stress.

"Finish eating, Sirius." Mrs. Black's voice came to Sirius, and he felt compelled to comply. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, something niggled at him that this wasn't right. He'd never so easily complied with what his mother wanted. But why? Did it really matter? So he returned to the dining room and finished eating.

Had he been in his right mind, he would have seen the look of triumph on his mother's face, the look of confusion on his brother's, and the look of concerned bewilderment on his father's.

The rest of the day went smoothly. Sirius did exactly as he was told and the Black house was, temporarily, at peace.

As Sirius finished dressing for the dinner party, still blissfully free of responsibility, with not a care in the world, he looked at himself in the mirror and he frowned. He felt like he was supposed to be remembering something, but couldn't think of what. _Something's wrong_, a quiet voice whispered in his head. But he couldn't find any reason to think that, so he shrugged and went to find his mother.

He waited on a bench in the hall for his mother to appear. Regulus was casting suspicious glances at him, but Sirius didn't notice. He heard his parents' voices drift to him from their slightly ajar door.

"What did you say to him?" Mr. Black asked calmly.

"Nothing. He just… complied," Mrs. Black answered.

There was a pause. "What did you do to him?" Mr. Black persisted.

Mrs. Black chuckled quietly. "I showed him who is in charge. He's fine." She laughed lightly. "Don't worry. This may be the best party we've had."

"With Sirius there? I doubt it."

"Relax. I told you. He's under my complete control."

There was another lull in the conversation, during which Sirius felt a vibrating in his pocket. He hadn't realized he had put the mirror there, it was such an ingrained habit. He thought about answering it, but his mother wouldn't approve. _Answer it, you idiot_. That voice was back, causing Sirius to frown. He was about to pull the mirror out of his pocket when he heard his parents' voices again.

"Walburga," Mr. Black started. His voice was quiet and menacing. "Tell me you didn't."

She didn't answer right away. "I did what I had to do."

"No! He is our son!"

Regulus, who had been watching his brother most of the day, could also hear the conversation between his parents. He was confused about what his father meant. He had a feeling something was wrong, but he couldn't fathom what. Sirius seemed… happy. But it wasn't the same kind of happy that lit up his eyes as he laughed, like he did around his friends. It was an empty sort of ignorant bliss. And now, his father was upset about something mother had done. Then a couple of things happened in quick succession. His parents' bedroom door closed with a snap. Their room had a silencing charm on it, so he would hear nothing further of their discussion. And Sirius suddenly grabbed his head, as if in pain, and then tried to stand. Regulus watched transfixed as Sirius appeared to have an internal battle about whether or not to stand. His head and upper body leaned forward, getting ready to stand, but his rear didn't want to move and his legs didn't straighten. This caused him to tumble forward out of the chair and onto his head, his hands not moving to brace his fall. Had it not been for the surrounding circumstances, Regulus would have been laughing at his brother. Instead, he was frightened.

Sirius groaned and rubbed his head. He looked around, more than a little confused, and noticed Regulus was watching him with fear in his eyes. He shook his head to try to clear it. He remembered everything that happened, he just couldn't understand why or how it had happened. His mother hadn't asked him to do anything bad, but he would have fought hard not to go to the dinner party tonight, not to mention he seemed to have completely abandoned his mission of getting to Diagon Alley.

As he sat on the floor, he leaned against the bench and rubbed his head. Glancing up, he noticed his brother was still watching him from his room. "What happened?" Sirius asked, sounding slightly groggy.

"You tell me. You just fell off the bench," Regulus answered in a challenging tone, more out of habit than any real animosity at the moment.

Their parents' bedroom door opened again and Mr. Black exited. "Sirius?"

"Yes, sir?" Sirius stood up to face his parents.

"Are you ready for the dinner party?"

"I'm not going to any dinner party for your crowd." Sirius was still trying to figure out why he was dressed and ready for it.

In a matter of moments, a myriad of emotions flitted across Mr. Black's face. There was a hint of relief, and a touch of a smile on his lips, followed quickly by sadness. It was then that Mrs. Black came out of the bedroom. She took one look at Sirius and became furious. "Now what are we going to do?" she spat angrily at Mr. Black.

Sirius was surprised by the question, but it confirmed what he thought. His mother had done something to him – again. "What did you do to me this time, mother?"

Mrs. Black sneered, "You're so smart. You figure it out."

"How did you get me to agree to everything? What don't I remember?"

"You remember everything. I am your mother and I did what was necessary to get you under control. Now get down stairs, our guests will be arriving soon." She took a step forward and glared up at her son. It was amazing how such a small woman could be so threatening. "And you will behave tonight, or I'll –"

"No. You won't," Mr. Black stated firmly.

Mrs. Black's eyes flicked to her husband and back to Sirius. She smirked in a way that told him that whatever his father had forbidden, might just happen anyway. Sirius nodded his compliance – for now. He was curious who would be coming over tonight anyway.

Not unsurprising, most of the guests were purebloods and Slytherins. His cousins were there with their spouses – all except for Andromeda, of course – as were other of his relatives. There were also Ministry officials present, with the Minister of Magic even making a brief appearance. Sirius spent most of the night on the fringes of the party, listening in on different conversations. He was not introduced to people, as was Regulus, and that suited him fine. Though he surprised himself with the twinge of jealousy he felt toward his brother.

Sirius had a sudden inspiration. Kreacher was currently busy attending to the needs of the guests. That meant he had a few minutes alone and unattended. He snuck to his father's study and slipped inside. He knew where the key was kept, so he headed straight for the desk to retrieve it. He paused just long enough to listen for interruptions and then took the key, dropping it in his pocket. He slunk back out of the study and returned to the party. After the unsettling day he'd had, niccing the key made him feel a little better.

It was already late, and the party was winding down when Sirius returned and, milling around again, a particular conversation caught his attention.

"All I'm saying is that we know that his followers are using the Unforgivables," Bartemius Crouch, a motivated ministry official, stated. "I don't see why I should be prevented from defending myself in kind. Fight fire with fire, so to speak."

"That's not defense." The crowd grew silent as, once again, Sirius' mouth got the better of him and he was speaking before he knew what he was doing.

"Come again?"

"The Unforgivables are all attacks. There's no defense there in using them against your opponent."

Barty smirked at being addressed by the young boy, obviously not taking him seriously. He knew that the boy had a bad reputation as being the "black sheep of the family" – no pun intended. He just didn't know what exactly that meant. "There's a muggle saying – the best defense is a strong offense."

"That's true. But that's negating the fact that the spells are Unforgivable for a reason. And there are plenty of other spells at a wizard's disposal that would allow him to take down and apprehend a fugitive, or suspect, without causing permanent harm or death." As Sirius glanced around, he noticed that people had taken an interest in the conversation, with differing reactions. Uncle Alphard was watching closely, a twinkle in his eye letting Sirius know he approved of the conversation. There was another man who had come with Crouch, an Alastor something or other. The man was frowning, though Sirius couldn't tell if it was in disapproval or deep consideration.

It struck Sirius how odd this gathering really was. There were Aurors right next to people he was sure were Death Eaters. Only his parents' political ties could intermingle such a group, and he couldn't help but be at least slightly impressed by that.

"Yes, but if I'm in the middle of a battle and I'm being attacked with deadly force, I want to make sure that I, and all the people I'm charged with protecting, survive. And if that means using deadly force in return – so be it."

"But then what separates you from them?" There was a hiss among the crowd. Mr. Crouch looked particularly angry at being compared to the dark wizards he was known to fanatically fight. "I mean, shouldn't you adhere to a higher standard than those dark wizards you're trying to apprehend? How far are you willing to go into the dark arts to get your man?"

"I do not dabble in the dark arts, young man. And you would do well to hold your tongue on matters you don't understand. You have never been in or near battle. You couldn't possibly know what we're up against."

"Maybe. Maybe I am being idealistic. I just don't think it's necessary. Okay, maybe I could see a justification for the killing curse – when it's life for life – but what about the others? Are you willing to use those, too? And I don't see how either of them would be useful in battle."

"They have other uses," Crouch said simply. "One is very… useful… for getting information. And the other…"

"Is useful," Mrs. Black broke in, "to control difficult subjects." She glared pointedly at Sirius.

Sirius felt his stomach drop. That was it. Control. Blissful lack of responsibility. His mother had used one of the Unforgivables on him. Sirius stared, stunned, at his mother as the realization washed over him. The use of one of the Unforgivable curses meant a guaranteed life sentence at Azkaban. Sirius half whispered, "I fear the day when those meant to protect us stoop so low as to use such heinous means against us."

"Sirius…" Mr. Black tried to cut in.

"No!" Sirius said, gaining volume as he went. "It strips us of freedom, the ability to choose for ourselves – right or wrong - destroys trust." Turning back to Mr. Crouch, he continued. "These are the very things we're fighting against. I hope to become an Auror one day." Sirius was vaguely aware of shifting in the crowd. He knew that, in full view of the public – and more importantly, those in the inner circle of his parents' twisted alliances – he stated what side he stood with. "And I promise you, I will never use those three curses. The only thing they can bring is pain."

Sirius strode out of the room, not waiting for a reaction from anyone, Crouch or otherwise. He could have told everyone at the party what his mother had done. She would, no doubt, deny it. But a formal investigation would have to take place, especially with Ministry Officials present. But he didn't.

Sirius felt strangled instead. He was barely part of the family. He hadn't been a part of it for years, not really. But to know that his own mother had used an Unforgivable on him – granted, the most pleasant of the three, in the strictly physical sense – cut deep. What hope he had of ever reconciling with her, of possibly making her proud despite their differences, was snuffed out in that one-word utterance. _Imperio_.

By the time he got to his room, a few tears fell, unbidden, down his face, and that infuriated him. How did she keep doing that? How did she keep finding ways to hurt him beyond anything she'd done in the past? James was right; he shouldn't have returned. The money wasn't that important, and he could always have spoken to Regulus at school if he really wanted to. Part of him just needed to know that leaving was his only recourse. Well, there was no question in his mind now. You couldn't love somebody and strip him of everything that made him who he was. He was reminded of his conversation with James so many years ago, when he told James that all his parents wanted was a show dog. The irony of the statement, and his subsequent animagus form, made his lip curl in a half-smile.

He shook his head. Pulling out the mirror, he said, "James Potter." As he waited for James to appear, he wiped his face and eyes.

"Padfoot, mate! It's about time. How's that plan of yours coming?" James asked, grinning widely.

Sirius shrugged. "Can I come tonight?"

James frowned. "Of course you can… What happened?"

"Nothing, I…"

"Pads!" James barked.

Sirius jumped at James abrupt tone. He closed his eyes and sighed. "I'll tell you when I get there."

"But you're all right?" James asked concernedly.

"Sure."

James looked at him skeptically, but said, "What time can I expect you?"

"What time is it now?"

"Midnight?"

"Blimey. Sorry, mate."

"Not a problem. So?"

"I'll be there in a mi…" Sirius glanced up having heard a noise outside his door. "Gotta go. It'll be soon," he whispered in a rush, and replaced the mirror in his pocket.

There was a gentle tapping on his door. "Enter." Sirius watched suspiciously as Regulus came into his room.

"You're all packed," Regulus observed.

"I'm always packed when I come… here," he finished, refusing to call this place home.

Regulus looked sad, but he glanced over his shoulder and rushed on. "Listen. I just came to warn you that mum is on the warpath. She swears you've embarrassed her in front of the world this time and ruined the party. Everyone's just left…"

"Doesn't matter. I was planning on leaving anyway."

Regulus nodded. "I had a feeling."

"Regulus… You won't tell anyone, right? About me… being a dog?"

Regulus stared at his brother for a moment. There was so much he wanted to say and he had the feeling that he was running out of time. Dropping his gaze, he said, "No."

Sirius visibly relaxed. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, "Come with me."

Regulus' head snapped up in surprise and he looked almost hopeful. "Yeah?"

Sirius nodded.

"Where are you going?"

"Prong's… I mean James' house."

Regulus snorted incredulously. "You don't honestly expect me to go with you there, do you?"

"Why not?" Sirius frowned.

"They're blood-traitors." Regulus saw the sudden flash of fury in Sirius' eyes and put up his hands to placate his brother. "Besides, they'd never accept me there."

"They would. I'd just tell them I want you there. They'd let you stay."

Regulus somehow didn't doubt that one bit. The bond and the loyalty between his brother and James had grown so strong that the trust was unwavering despite their argument earlier last year. Regulus envied it deeply. "No. I'm not going there."

Sirius huffed. "What if… What if we got a place? In London?"

Regulus actually smiled at this idea. But he could not leave his parents. Living with his brother would also drastically change his life at school. He didn't think he could live with being the outcast of Slytherin, not when he'd come so far to make the reputation he had on his own merit, rather than as a "Black" or "Sirius' brother" – at least he liked to think that. Instead he shook his head. "No. You go."

"You can't honestly want to stay here. You know what mother did, right?"

"It's not that bad. It's never been that bad. Not for me anyway. I can't… I can't just leave them."

"She cursed me, Regulus! And not just any curse – an Unforgivable." Sirius was practically yelling now.

Falling into all-too-familiar patterns, Regulus yelled back, "Well if you'd just do what you're supposed to once in a while!"

Sirius became very quiet not wanting to rehash old arguments. "They're going to get you killed, you know."

"No they won't," Regulus chuckled.

"You don't think that by becoming a Death Eater, you won't get killed? You heard Crouch tonight. It won't be long before Aurors are using the Unforgivables against them."

"You have no idea how outnumbered they…" Regulus suddenly clamped his mouth shut.

"What?" Sirius asked, but Regulus just stared back. "What?! What were you going to say?"

"Nothing. Go. Get out of here."

"You're a coward, you know that?" Sirius said. He hadn't meant to, but his brother had so frustrated him, and had managed to push that knife in just a little deeper – the one his mother had thrown at him earlier.

Regulus raised his eyebrows in surprise. The comment seemed to come out of left field. "Hey," he shrugged, "I'm not the one running away."

Sirius nodded, grabbed his trunk, and left the bedroom – Gryffindor decorations, muggle pictures, and one picture of his friends permanently attached to the wall as a monument of who he'd become despite his parents' best efforts. He had decided he would leave by the front door. He knew it was a matter of pride that made him walk out this way rather than through his window, which would have been much safer, but he wanted his mother to know he was leaving.

Sirius made it to the first floor landing, the front door in sight, when the familiar nails-against-chalkboard – only a hundred times worse – shrieking of his mother started.

"You worthless piece of flesh! You insult to the Black Name! How dare you insult our guests, and consequently us, in public! You're an embarrassment! You –" she suddenly cut off, seeing Sirius with his trunk in hand. "Where do you think you're going?!"

"I'm leaving," Sirius answered simply. He was tempted to say he was going to the Potters, but decided against it.

"You. Are. Not! You get back here this instant!"

"Good-bye, mother-dearest. I'm going home." Sirius turned back toward the door and walked past his mother and father.

"Don't you dare!" When Sirius failed to respond, she shrieked in frustration, and yelled, "_Crucio_!"

Sirius fell to the ground, pain coursing through every nerve in his body. The intensity was beyond anything Bella had ever done to him. He couldn't think; he didn't know if he was breathing – and couldn't think to find out. He was stuck, wholly and completely, in this present moment of unbearable pain.

The pain stopped as suddenly as it started, and yet lingered. It still felt as if every nerve in his body was tingling unpleasantly – like when his leg or arm fell asleep. The curse left him twitching and shaking, and as he lay on the ground, he realized his mother had given him exactly what he had needed to leave, and he started laughing. Slowly, shaking from both the after-effects of the curse, and his near-hysterical laughter, he managed to pull himself to his feet. Composing himself, though still smirking, he turned back to his mother and looked her straight in the eye. "That's two out of three, Mother. Care to go for the third?"

"Why you…!" Walburga lifted her wand to her son one last time, apparently actually considering taking him up on his challenge. But Mr. Black stepped up behind her and grabbed her raised arm before she could do anything.

"Go. Just… go," Mr. Black said, sounding worn and defeated.

Sirius looked at his father – really looked at him – for the first time in years. He saw the defeat and sadness in his eyes. It's a look no child should have to witness in his father. As a wave of guilt washed over him, Sirius wondered if that was his fault. If he had been a better son, would his father look this way? But guilt would hold him there in hopes of making things right, so Sirius decided it was _her_ fault. That was easier to accept, and it allowed him to walk away from his father, angry at him for his weakness.

He nodded to his father, picked up his trunk, and left.

- - - - -

A/N – Thank you, thank you, thank you. Truly. Thank you for all the kindness and encouragement. I genuinely appreciate it. Thank you to those who have added me to your favorites and alert lists. That's awesome! Thanks also to my wonderful betas - Mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer - Same.

Chapter 83

Feeling too weak to apparate the distance to James' house, Sirius decided to flag down the Knight Bus and contact James once he was on his way. It wasn't long before he arrived on the doorstep of his adopted brother's house. He had only been here once before, but he still couldn't help but be impressed.

His family house was dark and unwelcoming, even from the outside. And it had always appeared cramped to Sirius, though maybe that was because the exterior belied the true extent of the floor-plan inside. But in contrast, even at this late-night hour, the porch light was on and the Potter house felt inviting.

Sirius was just about to ring the doorbell when the front door opened and James stood on the other side, beaming. James immediately wrapped his friend in a brotherly embrace.

Sirius hissed at the jostling, his body still not recovered from the Cruciatus curse.

"What?" James asked, suddenly pulling back and looking very concerned. "What is it?"

Sirius smirked. "May I come in?"

"Of course," James jumped aside. Once Sirius was in the door, he asked again, not willing to let it go. He had learned over the years that Sirius needed to be nagged to get him to open up, especially when it was something that really bothered him. "So? What is it?"

"Why, hello, Prongs. So good to see you, too," Sirius continued to smile as he looked around the house, so different from the one from which he had just come.

"Pads," James sighed. "It's good to see you. Come on. Let's get you settled for the night."

"Where are your parents?"

"Uh… sleeping. It is nearly one thirty in the morning."

"Right." Sirius followed James up the stairs and to the guest bedroom, where he allowed his trunk to slip from his grasp, and land with a muffled thud onto the floor.

James sat down on the guest bed and backed up, so his back was leaning against the wall. "So? – I ask again."

"Prongs, I'm tired. Can we do this in the morning?"

"No. You woke me up – from a very lovely dream about Evans, I might add – interrupting my bliss to tell me you're coming tonight – not that I mind you being here," James added before Sirius could even suggest leaving. "Then you tell me you're on your way, only to arrive an hour and a half later by Knight Bus – and I know how much you love to apparate. This all tells me that things aren't going well. So spill."

Sirius frowned at James. "You've been spending too much time with Moony, Prongs."

"Whatever. Stop stalling."

Sirius sat next to his friend – shoulder to shoulder. Sirius smiled sadly, lowering his head so his hair conveniently shielded his face from James. "Well, let's see. I got into an argument with my idiot brother. I'm pretty sure I insulted one of the head Auror's – making my chances of being accepted into the program near nil. Oh, yeah, and on top of her usual tirade about what a waste of space I am, my mother used two Unforgivable curses on me in the course of one day."

James gasped. "Sirius…"

Lifting his head so he could look out of the window across the room, Sirius said, "It doesn't matter now. I don't live there anymore."

"Okay," James said quietly. He'd gotten what he needed to know from Sirius. And he was right, it didn't matter any more. James stood and walked to the door. Pausing, he looked back at Sirius, who had gotten up and opened his trunk, looking for night clothes. "Welcome home," James grinned.

Sirius looked around the room and nodded; then, looking at James, he smiled back. "Thanks."

The next morning Sirius awoke to the smell of pancake syrup and cooked sausage. He stretched, yawned, scratched his head, and padded down to the kitchen and toward the smell of the food. He was still feeling stiff from the night before but, otherwise, felt good. Content, even.

Mrs. Potter had her back to the kitchen door when he entered. When she turned, she startled at the sight of the teen. "Oh! Dear boy. I wasn't expecting to see you. When did you arrive?" She hurried over to embrace her second son.

Grinning, Sirius answered, "Last night, mum." He held onto her, reveling in the feeling of warm acceptance and love. "Sorry to have startled you."

"Nonsense. Breakfast is just about ready. Would you be a dear and wake up your brother?"

Sirius nodded, unable to wipe the grin off of his face. He headed back up the stairs and only then realized he had no idea where James slept. As if having read his mind, Mrs. Potter suddenly called out to him, "Second door on the right, dear."

Sirius went over to the door and pounded – loudly. Within seconds, the door flung open, a disheveled and cranky-looking James standing on the other side. He groaned slightly.

"Mum sent me up to get you."

James glanced at his best friend and noticed the grin still firmly in place. The sheer genuineness of it caused James to grin back, despite the rude awaking. "Tell her I'll be down in a minute." James reached for his glasses and then headed down the hall.

Sirius figured it was to use the bathroom. The thought made him realize he had to go too, and he asked for directions to another one.

Both teens arrived at the breakfast table at about the same time, and Mr. Potter arrived just a minute later.

"Sirius." Mr. Potter extended a hand in greeting. "I wasn't expecting you this morning. What time did you get in?"

"About 1:30," James said, around a mouthful of sausage.

"Oh?" Mr. Potter prompted, looking a little concerned. He glanced from Sirius to James and then back to Sirius. "Did your 'get away' go off without a hitch?" Mr. Potter knew Sirius was planning on running away to get here, but the suddenness of his arrival made him feel that something was off.

Sirius and James exchanged looks.

"James?" Mr. Potter asked in that fatherly tone that says, "I know you're trying to hide something, so don't bother."

"His mum…" James began, but Sirius cut him off.

"'Mother,'" Sirius corrected. He never liked using the familiar 'mum' for his mother. That indicated some sort of friendly, loving relationship that he didn't have with the woman.

"His mother," James altered his wording, "used…"

Sirius interrupted again by clearing his throat. He didn't really want the Potters to know, but he figured if they were going to find out, it should come from him. "She used the cruciatus curse."

Mrs. Potter let out a soft whimper and covered her mouth before rushing over to Sirius and laying a hand on his shoulder. Mr. Potter, on the other hand, was not quiet. "What?!" he yelled furiously.

James and Sirius were both startled by the older man's response. He was far angrier than the time Sirius had tried to run away before and he ended up having a spat with Sirius' parents.

Mr. Potter arose from the table.

"Where are you going, dear?" Mrs. Potter asked.

"To contact Alastor at the ministry."

"No!" Sirius and James both called out at the same time.

"And why not?"

"It's over and done with," Sirius said. "It only happened once and I know she won't do it to Regulus. I'm not going back there and, now that I'm seventeen, they can't make me. So there's no point."

"No point? Any other person that is caught using that curse is sent immediately to Azkaban. And this woman did it to you – her son!"

"Charles," Mrs. Potter tried to quiet her husband while soothing Sirius, who she felt tense at the exchange.

_Why is it that every home I try to live in, people start yelling?_ Sirius began to wonder if this was such a good idea. "I'm sorry," Sirius said. Everyone turned to look at him.

"For what, dear?" Mrs. Potter asked.

"I didn't mean to cause a problem. I just… She's…" Sirius struggled to put into words exactly what he was feeling.

"She's your mother," Mrs. Potter said. And instead of sounding angry, as Sirius would have expected, she simply sounded understanding. Sirius nodded. "It's all right to still care about them, dear. It's wonderful that you can." Mr. Potter threw up his arms in frustration and walked out of the kitchen.

Sirius watched him leave. He felt the need to explain further to Mrs. Potter, though. He really did think of her more as a mother than he could his own flesh and blood. "It's not so much her, but she's actually good to Regulus."

"It's all right. You don't need to explain."

"I think I made him mad," Sirius said, nodding at the door through which Mr. Potter had just gone. He had no doubt about how James and Mrs. Potter felt toward him, but he had never been on such sure footing with Mr. Potter.

"Don't worry. He just gets a little over-protective sometimes."

James snorted. "Yeah. And where do you think I get my noble sense of right and wrong? He'll cool down."

Sirius smiled slightly at James, but he still felt unsure. He excused himself from the table and headed to the room in which he'd spent the night.

He was sitting on the bed for some time when he heard a knock on the door. "Enter," he said automatically, and cringed slightly at the habit. He looked up, expecting to see James, but Mr. Potter was leaning in the doorway, frowning.

"May I come in?" Mr. Potter asked.

Sirius was surprised by the question. For one thing, his parents never asked. Of course, they seldom knocked, either. For another thing, this was his house; why would he ever ask to enter a room. "Yes sir."

Charles Potter sat on the bed next to Sirius. "Son… I want you to know I'm not going to say anything. I don't completely understand it, but I won't say anything."

Sirius nodded. "Thanks."

"However," Mr. Potter paused until Sirius was looking at him. "You are now living under my roof. That means that, like any good father, I'm going to protect my own. So if she ever does anything like that again… I will let the authorities know."

Sirius smiled at him and nodded understanding – not that his mother would ever do anything to him now that he was out of the house. Sirius was also happy because Mr. Potter had just accepted him into the family, and it didn't go unnoticed by him.

"I am also here to tell you can't stay here."

"Oh?" Sirius asked confused. "I can pay rent – I think. Once I get to my account."

"No, no," Mr. Potter chuckled. "No. I mean, you're not staying in this room. This is a guest room. You have quarters in the family wing."

Sirius smiled again. He couldn't help that the emotional roller coaster he'd been on in the last twenty-four hours left his defenses down, and his eyes started to water.

Mr. Potter reached over and pulled him into a firm, fatherly hug. After a moment, Mr. Potter whispered, "You good?"

Sirius pulled away. "Yeah." He was still grinning his contagious grin, melting Mr. Potter's concerned expression into a smile.

"Good. Now grab your things," Mr. Potter said, giving Sirius' knee a quick pat before standing.

"But daaad," Sirius did his best impression of a whiney teen – which, wasn't too much of a stretch for him.

"Oh, don't start that," Mr. Potter shivered. "James does that enough for the both of you."

As if on cue, James, said, "Daad!" in a whiney, but embarrassed, teen voice, causing both Mr. Potter and Sirius to laugh. He had heard Sirius and his father talking and appeared in the doorway as Mr. Potter made his last statement.

"Help your brother." Mr. Potter directed James toward the trunk.

James did as he was told, grumbling the whole way to Sirius' new room. Once they were in the room, James asked, "Do you want help unpacking?"

"No, I got it," Sirius answered.

"Right. Well, I'll be outside. Mum said we could go to London today. I have to stop by Gringotts first, though."

Sirius couldn't believe his ears. Life couldn't get any better than this. "Sounds good. I have to go there, too."

James left Sirius to his unpacking. When he was finished, he looked at his empty trunk, and then at the room. He was home. This was the first time his trunk had been emptied in years. For however short a time as it might be, he was home.

- - - - -

A/N Short, but hopefully sweet. Thanks again for all the kindness and encouragement. And thank you m'lovelies - Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 84

Later that day, when Sirius and James stopped by Gringotts before heading into London, Sirius opened his own bank account. The only problem was, he had nothing to put in it. He handed the attending goblin the key to his vault, but the goblin only squeaked at him, "I'm sorry, but this account has been closed."

"What? This is my account."

"The primary names on the account are Orion and Walburga Black. Walburga Black signed the paperwork this morning, stating that the child on the account had died and it was to be closed."

"Died? Do I look dead?" Sirius yelled in frustration.

"I'm sorry, sir, but the account is closed."

Sirius walked away in a huff, furious that, even away from that house, his family – or more specifically his mother – was finding ways of making his life miserable.

James was waiting outside for Sirius, and, when he saw him approach, asked, "What happened?"

"I'm dead, don't you know?" Sirius gestured wildly in frustration. "So I have no access to my own account." He sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "I don't have anything, Prongs."

James put a comforting hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Well, aren't you glad you don't need any money?"

"But I do. I mean, I kind of expected that spending sprees in Hogsmeade would be limited. But I can't even buy my books and school supplies… and robes…"

"Don't worry about it. That's what parents are for," James winked at Sirius, fully confident that his parents would pay for anything Sirius needed.

"Thanks but… I really don't want to have to do that to them."

"Pads, you're either in this family or you're not. If you're in, then my parents fully expect you to mooch off of them as long as possible. If you're not… Well, you'll break mum's heart, and I may have to beat the tar out of you for it."

Sirius snorted in laughter. "Yeah. All right."

The teens headed to London after that, but they weren't there long. Sirius refused to let James buy him anything, especially lunch, using the excuse that they weren't dating and he didn't want to owe James any "special favors" later.

After supper that night, Sirius asked to speak with Mr. Potter. He wasn't used to taking charity and, while he knew that he wasn't putting the Potters out, he felt he should do something to contribute. So he and Mr. Potter worked out a chore routine that would enable Sirius to earn money from them.

This caused minor conflict between Sirius and James, as Sirius took this very seriously, occasionally putting off James to get something done. And James, never having had to work for anything, let alone money, didn't understand why Sirius was so adamant about this, especially knowing that his parents would pay for anything Sirius needed or wanted. But, by the end of the summer, Sirius had earned enough to pay for his school supplies, new clothes, and still have some left over for a trip or two to Hogsmeade. (Sirius didn't know, never having had to work before, that he was being overpaid.)

Aside from the chores, the rest of the summer was the most relaxing and most fun summer Sirius could remember having. They spent a good amount of time in London. At least once a week, Sirius stopped by the motorcycle store to ogle the beautiful machines. He and James also traveled to Diagon Alley, occasionally venturing into Knockturn Alley, as they wanted to keep on top of the latest wizard news and anything that might be going on with Voldemort and the Death Eaters. And Peter and Remus came to visit on occasion.

Toward the end of summer, all four of the Marauders met up in Diagon Alley to buy everything they needed for the upcoming school year. They then sat around Florean Fortescue's discussing their summers, but mostly any news they had heard. And they discovered they had missed a lot while at school.

The papers were not reporting half of what was going on, though it was sometimes hard to tell the difference between real events and rumors. Wizards and witches were disappearing at an alarming rate. Some of them returned with no memory of what had transpired. Some didn't return at all. An atmosphere of paranoia was building, and people were becoming afraid, unwilling to travel alone anymore. The Ministry had even started issuing pamphlets on how to maintain safety, and emergency contact procedures.

Sirius looked over a pamphlet Peter had brought with him to show the others. He shook his head and muttered, "This is not good."

"What's that?" Remus asked.

Glancing up, Sirius said, "They're asking people to report suspicious activity. I understand the need to keep watch, but soon we're going to have people spying on their neighbors."

"It's going to cause a lot of miscommunication and mistrust," James agreed. "But I really don't see a way around it."

"I also heard," Peter inserted, "That the Aurors and Hit Wizards have made some odd arrests. It seems that some very good wizards have done strange things. My dad thinks someone is putting people under the Imperius Curse."

Sirius cursed and looked down the street.

James glanced at him, but said, "And this is only what people know about… or at least the rumors being spread. Who knows what's really going on."

"I think some people know more than most," Remus interjected.

Sirius snorted. "And what does that mean, Oh Cryptic One?"

"As you know, I spend my holidays at the school. Despite everything that's going on, there still aren't many students that stay there – especially over the summer. So I talk to the professors…"

"Way to kiss-up on your down time," James ribbed him.

Remus continued, ignoring James, except for the ice-cream sprinkle that hit him on the cheek. "During conversations, some things have… come up. I've heard mention of secret meetings and 'finding' people to help with the cause."

"You mean like recruiting," James clarified.

Remus nodded. "That's what I'm thinking."

"Recruiting for what?" Peter asked, frowning. "I mean what are 'they' doing – whoever 'they' are – that the Ministry isn't doing?"

"Dumbledore, of course," James stated.

"And the Ministry is only going to be able to do so much through legal channels. Dumbledore will have much more freedom to do what needs to be done," Sirius added.

"I've seen officials from the Ministry stop by the school. So I'm sure that Dumbledore is working in full cooperation with them at this point," Remus stated.

"So… Do you think we should go to Dumbledore…" Sirius started.

"And see about joining up with him?" James finished.

"But I thought we were all pretty much planning on working for the Ministry anyway," Peter pointed out.

"We can't do both?" Sirius asked, in that way that made Peter feel stupid.

"How would we approach him?" Peter asked.

"Well, Prongs here is the newly appointed Head Boy."

Peter practically yelled, "What?" at the same time Remus laughed and said, "You're kidding!"

James nodded his head sheepishly. "I am," he said, smiling in spite of himself. He didn't want to rub his position in, when he felt it really should have belonged to Remus.

To his surprise, Remus clapped him on the shoulder, smiling genuinely. "Congrats." Peter, who was also smiling, nodded in agreement.

"Thanks."

"As I was saying – with Prongs being the new Head Boy, I'm sure he'll have opportunity to speak with Dumbledore."

"You know, this may all be unnecessary. This might be over by the time we're out of school and can actually do anything."

"Moony, you don't honestly believe that, do you?" James asked.

Remus sighed and leaned back in his chair. "No, I don't."

The teens sat in silence for a few minutes before Remus added as an afterthought, "At least there haven't been any more deaths of late." The others nodded in agreement.

The next day, Remus and Peter again joined Sirius and James, only this time for a very different reason. James had taken his apparition test and passed, so to celebrate his success, as well as the ending of their last summer holiday, James invited all of them to join him and his parents for dinner.

A few days later, and the Marauders were back on the train – all of them. Remus had spent the last week of summer with James and Sirius, so he was able to make this final train ride back to school with them – final because most likely none of them would be leaving for Christmas.

James was thrilled to find out that the Head Girl position had been bestowed upon none other than Lily Evans. Because they were Head Boy and Girl, they had to stay near the prefects' compartments. In order to accommodate this inconvenience, the Marauders moved from the back of the train to the front, taking over several other compartments in the same car as the prefects.

All of the Gryffindor seventh-years joined them, as well as Addison's friends, several Hufflepuffs, the quidditch team, and a few other random friends. Nearly the whole first car was taken up by the group, in addition to the prefects. And, surprisingly, both Lily and James insisted that the Slytherin prefects be treated respectfully by everyone else. These Slytherins even joined in the fun from time to time.

The car was so rowdy that the witch who pushed the food trolley had trouble making it down the isle, not that she minded. This particular group of students knew how to make her laugh. She would miss them when they left.

- - - - -

"Back at school," Sirius sighed, leaning back on the usual couch in the common room and casually draping his arm around Gillette. "So what do we have planned for this year?"

"You mean other than studying for N.E.W.T.s?" Remus asked.

"Yes, Moony. Other than studying for N.E.W.T.s."

"Other than finally getting Evans to say 'yes' to a date?" James smiled roguishly and winked at Lily.

Lily, who was having her hair braided by Patty, looked up at James. "Good luck with that," she said, but instead of the usually cold tones she took on with James, she smiled, and her eyes twinkled.

"That sounded like a challenge, mate," Sirius smirked.

James simply continued to smile, not breaking eye contact with the girl of his dreams.

"I'm interning with Madam Pomfrey this year," Gillette stated, feeling very excited by the prospect. But she frowned slightly when all four Marauders suddenly turned their attention to her with guarded expressions.

"Really?" Sirius asked, his voice casual.

"Yeah. Why?"

"What will you be doing?" James asked.

"Learning to attend to various injuries and illnesses, I imagine. Why?"

"Nothing. That's great. You'll have a nice head-start for your Medi-Wizard training," Sirius said encouragingly. Since Gillette was sitting next to Sirius, with her head leaning back on his arm, she didn't see the look that passed between him and James. Both were wondering how Madam Pomfrey would handle Remus without Gillette finding out about him.

"Thanks," Gillette smiled. "I'm pretty excited." Sirius gave her a quick squeeze and kissed her lightly on the head.

"Anyone else?"

Stacey, who had been unusually quiet, spoke up. She looked on the verge of tears as she said, "I'll just be glad if my family makes it through the year."

"Oh, sweetheart, what happened?" Lily asked, moving to comfort her friend, and leaving her hair half braided.

Stacey sniffed. "My dad works for the Ministry and, well… you know. A lot has been going on. He doesn't do anything particularly… important… but he received an untraceable note telling him to keep his head down if…" she broke off in silent sobs.

Gillette moved closer to Stacey and slipped her arm around her. Lily sat down on the couch on Stacey's other side and took her hand, while Patty came around from the back and hugged her from behind.

"I'm so sorry," Gillette whispered. The other girls nodded in agreement.

"Is there anything we can do?" Patty asked.

"No. But thank you. All." Stacey took a deep shuddering breath. "I'm going to go up to bed. Good night, guys. I'm sorry for ruining the evening."

"Nonsense!" Lily said firmly. "Come on. I'll go up with you."

"I'll take her, Lily. You stay here." Patty came around to the front of the couch and led Stacey away.

Once the other girls were out of earshot, Lily burst out, "That makes me so mad!"

"What?" James asked.

"Stacey… and her family. There's this whole… war going on and I feel so useless! School just seems really secondary to what's going on out there."

"What's going on out there?" Sirius asked.

Lily looked up at him in shock, then she realized he wasn't asking because he didn't know, but rather because he wanted to find out what she knew. "I know the papers are being quiet about a lot. I know the muggles have no idea what's going on. There's been an increase in UFO sightings."

"UFO sightings?" Remus frowned.

"Unidentified Flying Objects."

Sirius and James snickered, but Remus' expression didn't change. "I know what UFOs are. I meant, what does that have to do with the war?"

"Well, a lot of UFO sightings talk about strange lights and missing time. What do you think really causes that? I think it's muggles who have seen something and are having their memories modified. Why else would it be increasing lately – enough to make the muggle news. Sure they're trying to make something of a joke out of it, but still."

"Huh," James uttered. He was impressed that Lily had put those two seemingly disconnected ideas together.

"I'm afraid I don't know much else. I'm kind of cut off from the wizarding world for most of the summer. Though, now that I can drive, I was able to spend time in Diagon Alley picking some stuff up. I heard about the disappearances."

"I don't think school is secondary," Remus jumped in, slightly off track. The others looked at him, wondering where he was going with this statement. "The sooner we become fully qualified, the sooner we can get out there and make a real difference. But we're going to need the stuff we learn this year."

"I know," Lily said quietly. "I still just wish there was more I could do."

Sirius and James exchanged glances and Sirius gave a slight nod.

"Lily – and Gillette – We're trying to… get together a group of people. People who are willing to fight Voldemort," the girls flinched at the use of his name, "here and when we leave school."

"Here?" Gillette asked.

"Yeah," Sirius picked the conversation. "See, we know that he has followers here – that he's recruiting from the students at the school." The girls were looking at Sirius and James in disbelief, not because they didn't believe them, but because they didn't want to.

"We… stumbled upon an induction ceremony last year. We just couldn't see who, exactly, the students were," Peter jumped in.

"We're definitely in," Lily spoke for both girls, and Gillette nodded in agreement. "What do you want us to do?"

"I don't think we can do anything 'big,' but we can start by talking to people, asking questions, see what we can find out. And, apparently, every year a new group of students is chosen to be the next year's Death Eaters. I can't help but think that number is only going to grow from last year," James stated.

"We should talk to Patty and Stacey. I bet they'd want to help," Lily suggested, directing her attention to Gillette.

Gillette made a face at that suggestion. "Stacey's got a lot to deal with already. We might want to wait to talk with her."

Turning now to James, Lily said, "We should talk to the prefects, too. At the very least, they can keep an extra close eye out for suspicious activity – anything that looks like dark magic."

The group of six friends spent another hour throwing ideas back and forth to each other – ways to glean more information, ways to find those who would be willing to help. It was as if they had their first, unofficial meeting, though they had not yet labeled themselves as an organization. It was definitely the start of a new camaraderie – a generation of fighters who would be called to lay down their lives for a cause they didn't yet fully understand.

- - - - -

A/N - Thanks again for the awesome support! And thanks to my selflessly-unpaid betas - Mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 85

Despite being the last year that the Marauders' would be in school, and they had hoped it would be more fun, they found that a heaviness lay on each of them. They had more schoolwork than in any other year, so for each subject that two or more of them shared, only one did the classwork to give the other the freedom to do the work for another class. It made the load considerably lighter. The only time that didn't work was when they had to pick separate topics for an essay, but even then they tried to share the load of work.

James was, by far, the most busy. By the time October came around, he really began to question whether or not he would be able to handle being quidditch captain, Head Boy, do his class work, and look into potential Death Eater activity on campus.

As Head Boy and Head Girl, James and Lily had more responsibility than they had expected. They had to take bi-monthly reports from the other prefects. They also had to act as student counselors, a task which drove James crazy, despite the fact that he was actually pretty good at it. They attended meetings with the Heads-of-House and the Headmaster, offering a familiarity with the very people they hoped would help them most in their efforts to fight Voldemort and his forces.

Due to their positions, they were also given more freedoms and luxury. They each had their own living quarters, much like the professors did. They had access to every part of the castle, which meant they were always updated on the password for the Gargoyle, as well as knowing the passwords for each of the common rooms. James tried very hard to convince Lily he was justified in searching the Slytherin dorms, but she would not allow it and insisted that, if he tried, she would report him to Dumbledore for misuse of power.

On their way back from a meeting with the Heads-of-House, in which the first Hogsmeade visit was announced, James smirked and glanced at Lily out of the corner of his eye. "Oh Evans…" he said in a sort of sing-song voice.

"Oh Potter," she replied, mimicking his tone.

"First Hogsmeade visit of the year…"

"And?"

"Will you go with me?"

"No."

James frowned in frustration. The two of them had been spending considerable time together and had actually been getting along. He had hoped she would finally give him his chance. "Why not?"

Lily glanced at him with a glint in her eyes that reminded James of Sirius when he was plotting something. "I'll tell you what, Potter. There are a few… conditions… that you have to meet before I'll go out with you."

The two of them had just reached her living quarters.

"And they would be…?"

Lily turned to face James, smiling mischievously. "Use your great Marauding skills to find out." And with that, she whipped around and stepped through her door, closing it on a confused, yet elated, James.

James stood for a moment, staring at the now closed door, then he too spun and made a mad dash to the Gryffindor common room. When he entered, he yelled, "Gillette!... Gillette!" James walked purposefully up to Sirius, who was sitting in his usual place on the couch. "Where is Gillette?"

"Calm down, mate. What's the problem?" Sirius asked.

"It's Evans!"

By James' response, Sirius couldn't tell if something was wrong or very right. "Well, you'll just have to wait a minute. She went to powder her nose. – You know, I really don't understand that expression – 'powder your nose.' I mean, really, one's nose is about as far from your…"

"Sirius!" Remus warned.

Sirius smirked, but kept quiet, though James was starting to irritate him with his impatient tapping on the back of the couch.

As soon as Gillette re-entered the common room, James pounced at her and grabbed her by the shoulders. With a little desperate shake, he said, "Gillette, I need your help."

Gillette stared at James, wide-eyed. "James," she said slowly, as if speaking to someone mentally disturbed. "Let's sit down."

James seemed to come to his senses and he let her go, then followed her to the couch. "Evans said she would go out with me if I met certain criteria. What are they?"

Gillette gasped and covered her mouth. Then, in the way that tends to frighten boys, she started squeeing and bouncing in her seat. This was followed quickly by launching herself toward James and giving him a hug, before pulling back and bouncing a few more times. It was James' turn to look at her in a wide-eyed, slightly frightened, way.

"Okay. First of all, I think you're supposed to figure out what she wants and not have me just tell you… but I'll give you the first one as a freebie. Call her 'Lily' not 'Evans.'"

James nodded. "I can do that."

"Oh," Gillette waved her hand, indicating James should wait. "But you can't just start calling her 'Lily.' That won't work; plus, she'll know I told you. It will have to be at a special moment."

James sighed frustratedly. "Anything else I should know?"

"Well, of course. That's kind of the point, isn't it?"

"How many of these 'criteria' are there?"

"All right, listen… Most of the criteria she had you've already fulfilled without knowing it…"

James smiled cockily, "I have?"

"Yes. And wipe that smile off your face, because that will count against you." James dropped the smile so fast, Gillette had to work hard not to laugh. Sirius, who was sitting next to her on the couch, did snort in laughter. "Prove to her that you know her – not just her name or her physical attributes, but that you really _know_ her. She wants to be liked for who she is. And show her something of yourself." Sirius chuckled quietly again, so Gillette elbowed him in the side. "Do not buy her something. She knows you have money and she'll think you're just trying to flaunt it. That won't impress her. Oh, and you can't use the Room of Requirement – that's cheating."

James nodded as each of Gillette's instructions were fired at him. His frown deepened with each one as he realized he'd have to put serious thought into making this perfect. He actually began to get nervous. This might very well be his one and only shot to prove himself to her and he didn't want to mess it up. "Can I get help, at least?"

"You've already gotten help, but yes. And with that, I think I'll leave you boys to talk."

James wore a forlorn expression as he looked to his friends for help. "Any suggestions?"

"This is worse than a marriage proposal," Sirius commented.

"She just wants some reassurance that Prongs is serious," Remus stated.

"No, I'm Sirius… and after four years of Prongs asking her to Hogsmeade, she ought to know he's… you know," Sirius said indignantly. It wasn't that he didn't like Lily. He'd learned to like her a lot last year with the whole "Snivellus Incident." He just didn't think it was fair that his best mate had to jump through hoops to impress a girl who spent most of her time criticizing him. Then again, Sirius had to admit she hadn't been criticizing him nearly as much as she used to. In fact, they'd all been getting along pretty well.

"Pads, will you help?" James had that pathetic look that got Sirius to do anything he wanted.

He sighed. "Of course I will."

James cheered considerably. "Wormtail, any details you can give me would be helpful right about now."

Peter frowned, thinking hard about what he knew about the lovely Miss Lily.

Before he could say anything, Remus jumped in. "I thought the point of this was to find out what _you_ know about her… So let's start there." To aid in the discovery process, Remus pulled out a piece of parchment and his quill to make a list.

"Okay. I know… mmm… I know her parents died and she lives with her sister, Petunia, who she no longer gets along with…"

"Well that's cheery," Sirius interjected, but Remus shot him a look, clearly telling him to shut up.

"I know her best friend is Gillette, but she's also good friends with Patty, Stacey, and Leena. She's had two boyfriends. She loves Christmas. She wears a cross necklace all the time. She's studious, very good with people, and follows the rules, which is probably why she's Head Girl. She's good in Potions and Charms, but she's not very good at Herbology. She's passionate about things she cares about and has a strong sense of justice. She's competitive and has a quick wit… And she hums to herself when she's walking around. She twirls her hair when she's thinking, she shakes her leg when she's nervous, and she doodles when she's bored."

"Very good, Prongs. Now what about her likes and dislikes?" Remus encouraged.

"She likes quidditch. She doesn't like liver. I don't think she really likes flowers. Even her perfume is more musky than flowery. But she loves chocolate – the richer the better…"

James went on like this for nearly an hour, telling every minute detail that he knew about Lily, her life, her habits and her likes. By the end of the hour, Remus was shaking a cramp out of his hand, Sirius was staring at him, open mouthed, and Peter was still frowning.

When James went quiet, Peter said, "You knew a whole lot more than I did, Prongs."

Remus added, "I'm impressed. Now what are we going to do with this."

"Give it to her," Sirius said firmly.

"What?" James asked.

"Give it to her. Honestly, mate, if she wanted to know if you 'know' her, that there is the proof. It's a bit scary, really. But it will prove it, beyond a doubt."

"That's true," Remus agreed. "If you write this up and give it to her… I bet that would make quite an impression."

"Here's what you do…" Sirius leaned in conspiratorially and whispered a plan to James, who listened with rapt attention.

Two days later, Lily opened the door to her room and found a long, thin, yet small box, neatly wrapped with a bow and a small card. She frowned when she picked it up and glanced both left and right down the hall. She opened the card, which read simply, "To My Dearest Lily, From James."

She smiled and her heart began to race with anticipation. Instead of going to breakfast as she had intended, she stepped back inside her room and closed the door. She set the box gently down on her desk and pulled the ribbon, untying the bow. Lifting open the lid of the box, she was surprised to see, not some ornate or expensive trinket, but rather about four-feet worth of a scroll. It was even sealed with wax and what she assumed was the Potter crest – the head of a Stag. She carefully broke the seal, wanting to keep everything exactly as it was. If James was who she hoped he would be, then she wanted to be able to keep this for the rest of her life.

She read through the scroll, flabbergasted at the things James knew about her – some of which she hadn't even realized. He had added to the list small anecdotes of their time at Hogwarts and things he most remembered about her from over the years. He was blatantly honest, telling her not only good things about herself and good memories, but things that annoyed him and hurt him. She laughed at parts, rolled her eyes at others, and even cried.

When she had finished reading the entire scroll – twice – she carefully rolled it back up and used a non-permanent sticking charm on the seal to keep it closed. She grabbed her bag and headed for breakfast.

James seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to Lily. The instant she crossed the threshold into the Great Hall, he knew she was there. He looked up, feeling incredibly nervous.

Lily quickly found him at the Gryffindor table and headed straight toward him.

James stood at her approach. He noticed the scroll in her hand, and that it appeared to be unopened, and his heart fell. What could have gone wrong already?

Lily stopped about a foot away from James. She held up the scroll. "Did you come up with this by yourself?"

James knew his answer would be very crucial to the future of their relationship, so he decided honesty was best. "Not entirely."

Lily dropped her head in disappointment. "I see."

"I mean," James explained, because he knew he was losing her, "Gillette told me that you wanted to know that I knew you. And Remus suggested making a list. Sirius told me I should give the list to you once it was made. But everything in there came from me."

Lily glanced at the Marauders, who were all watching the exchange very closely. "It's true, Lily," Sirius backed up his friend's story. "Prongs came up with the entire list."

"And the stories?"

"What stories?" Sirius asked.

"We didn't know about anything but the list," Remus confirmed.

"I wrote those later," James said.

Lily stared at James for a few seconds. "Thank you," she whispered, and threw her arms around James.

James was taken by surprise, but quickly recovered, and wrapped his arms around her. "You're welcome, Lily."

Lily held on tighter and buried her head in the crook of James' neck and shoulder. She had started trembling slightly and James realized she was crying. At a loss for what to do, he stroked her hair and whispered, "I'm sorry, Lily."

Lily pulled back and wiped her eyes, "No. No, it's not you, James. I mean… It is you, but it's not a bad thing." She laughed lightly. "Yes, James Potter. I will definitely go with you to Hogsmeade."

"Yes!" James said ecstatically. He hugged Lily again, this time lifting her up and spinning her around, while she laughed at his enthusiasm and in her own joy. Upon returning her feet to the floor, the moment seemed too perfect not to take advantage of, and James leaned in and kissed the only girl he had ever wanted to kiss. She returned it and the entire Gryffindor table, not to mention quite a few students from other houses, cheered.

They broke apart, both blushing madly at the public interest they'd garnered. Holding her hand, James helped Lily into her seat and sat down next to her.

Just as she sat down, however, Sirius stood up and leaned across the table, gesturing at Lily. She stood and leaned awkwardly across the table, the two embracing joyfully. Peter shook Lily's hand, and Remus, who was on the other side of James, got up so he, too, could to give her a hug.

Lily felt oddly like she was being welcomed into a family, and she couldn't have been more thrilled. She'd waited a long time for this and had been most concerned about Sirius' reaction. She wasn't sure if Sirius would be happy or jealous if she and James got together. So far, he was happy. Lily glanced at Gillette, who was beaming, but a couple of tears had slid down her best friend's face – tears she knew to be of joy.

Sirius had also looked over at Gillette. He saw the tears of joy she had shed for her best friend and he somehow knew that everything would be all right for Lily and James. Gillette turned her gaze to him. He smiled at her and nodded slightly toward James and Lily, indicating he was happy for them. She nodded back, but then held his gaze. Something passed between them that Sirius couldn't explain, or was too afraid to try to explore, but the intensity of it made him look away, and he returned his attention to the couple before him. Life was good.

- - - - -

A/N - Bit of romantic fluff, but who hasn't been waiting for this. :) Thanks again for all of the wonderful reviews, encouragement, and kindness. Thank you. And thank you to my wonderful betas - Mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton.

Shoshoni - I wanted to thank you earlier and forgot. Very sorry. Thankyou very much! I'm thrilled to hear that you started way back with The Way We Were and enjoyed it enough to keep going. :) Awesome. That's a lot of reading. Ha ha. I'm glad to hear I'm able to elicit emotion and talking to one's self. :D Thank you! 


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer - Usual.

A/N - Um... bear with me. :)

Chapter 86

It was the Friday before the first Hogsmeade visit of the year. It also happened to be the October full moon. The day was beautiful and sunny, though chilly enough to require a light cloak over the school robes. Since they had the afternoon free, the Marauders were spending their time meandering on the grounds between the lake and the Forbidden Forest. Every so often, Remus would stop and stare into the woods – not the vacant stare of someone deep in thought, but rather that of an animal that's caught wind of an unfamiliar scent.

"You all right, Moony?" James asked the third time he did this.

"Huh? Yeah. It's just…" Remus frowned, unsure of what he was feeling.

"What?" Sirius asked, looking intently at him.

"I just feel like there's… someone in there."

"In the Forest?" Peter clarified.

Remus nodded, then shrugged and started walking again. Sirius and James occasionally glanced at Remus or the Forest or each other, neither picking up anything unusual besides Remus' behavior.

"Well… It is a full moon…" James started.

"Maybe your Spidey-senses are in overdrive," Sirius completed the thought.

Remus spocked his eyebrow at Sirius. "My 'Spidey-senses'?"

Sirius grinned. "I told you I read… occasionally."

"And where, pray tell, did you get a Spider-man comic book?" Remus asked out of curiosity.

Sirius blushed slightly, like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "One of the first-years. Tyler. He's muggle-born and really into them."

James placed a hand on Sirius' shoulder and laughed. "If your mother could see you now."

Eventually, they sat down under their usual tree and did some classwork for a while before heading in for an early supper. Afterward, Remus went to the Shack; the others would follow later. One advantage of James being the Head Boy was that the guys often spent time in his living quarters, so no one noticed if they weren't in the common room or their dorm.

James was unusually restless tonight, being nervous about his first date with Lily. It was just a Hogsmeade visit, he tried to tell himself, so it wouldn't be incredibly romantic, but it was still their first date. To help ease his restlessness, Sirius suggested they leave for the Shack early.

James, Sirius, and Peter headed toward the Whomping Willow under cover of the invisibility cloak. Once there, Peter transformed and scurried quickly to the knot to freeze the tree. When they were all inside the tunnel, they transformed into their animal forms to move more efficiently. At the door to the Shack, James transformed back into his human form to unlock the door. Sirius made sure to be the first in the entrance to block Remus from leaping at James if he didn't transform quickly enough. But all went smoothly.

Remus, who maintained a good deal more of his own mind than he previously did when he was alone, had learned to wait patiently until the others arrived. There were some nights he was driven to the point of restless, frustrated chewing and scratching, as he used to do, but for the most part he had learned to remain calm, even to the point of keeping himself upstairs until they came, to give them extra time to transform.

After making sure the door was ajar for their return, all four Marauders traveled back down the tunnel and slipped out from under the willow and onto the grounds. Remus stopped for a moment to sniff the air, but then trotted after the others, looking forward to what they would discover on tonight's adventure.

After a few hours of romping, they headed toward the lake, but then they heard something they'd never heard before. Howling. All four of them froze, each sniffing the air in expectation. The howl rang out again and Remus was off. The wolf couldn't help it. He was drawn to the sound like a magnet. It became an all-consuming thought – _must reach them_. But them who? Remus struggled to regain control over the instincts carrying him to the forest. He took comfort in the sounds of his friends running behind him.

At the edge of the forest, Remus abruptly stopped. Sirius and James came up on either side of him, watching the moving shadows between the trees. James pawed nervously before becoming still - a coiled spring waiting for release. Peter held on tight to James' antlers, even going so far as to wrap his tail around them. Sirius crouched low to the ground and let out a warning growl. Something was approaching.

Three werewolves slunk out from between the trees and into the open. Sirius' growl became louder and he punctuated his threat with a snarl, but the werewolves were staring intently at the only thing that interested them – Remus.

One of them barked and turned, indicating Remus was to follow. His head was screaming no, but he felt his feet move anyway. James and Sirius jumped in front of him, blocking his path. James lowered his head threateningly and Peter jumped to the ground with a soft thud. If James was going to use his antlers in battle, he would only get in the way. And being so small, he would be completely ineffective in a fight, so he scurried to the nearest tree, taking shelter in its branches – at least, that's what he told himself was his reason for running.

The werewolves did not appreciate the stag and the dog getting in the way of what they came to collect. The leader of the pack growled menacingly, only to be answered in kind by Sirius.

With a swish of his tail and a flick of his ear, the alpha werewolf leapt, starting an all-out brawl. He ran straight toward Sirius, while the other two flanked James.

Sirius and the alpha fought and wrestled, becoming a tangle of fur and teeth and razor sharp claws, while James jabbed angrily with his antlers and used his hind feet to the best of his ability. He kicked one of the wolves in the side and nearly skewered the other with his pointy antlers. But they circled around him continually and he had to keep turning to keep them in his sights.

Remus, for his part, was locked in his own battle. He knew these were his friends and he had to fight alongside them. Even the wolf seemed to recognize his familiar pack was fighting with the new pack instinct told him he _should_ belong to. In the intensity of his struggle, he was paralyzed to do anything – instinct vying to take control of his body while his intellect was struggling to hold himself in place.

The fight intensified and Sirius yelped as the werewolf's claws raked his side. It gave him an edge, though, since the werewolf had actually lost its grip. Sirius grabbed behind the wolf's neck and pinned him to the ground.

The yelp, however, was enough to distract James, and in his quick glance to see if Sirius was okay, he lost track of the wolves he was fighting. One came up behind him and bit him on the leg trying to hamstring him. James struggled to stay on his feet, which was near impossible, and in that struggle the other wolf jumped on his back and bit the back of his neck. Holding on to James, it used its weight to drag him to the ground, the puncture wounds becoming long, jagged tears.

It was this sight that managed to break Remus' internal stalemate. Using the wolf in him, and its instinct for pack survival, he was able to turn it against the intruders. Between the alpha-male being held in submission, and Remus suddenly joining the attack against them, the other two backed away from James.

Seeing them back off, Sirius let go of the leader, who also retreated when he saw that Remus was fighting against them. The three werewolves darted back into the forest. Sirius watched them intently for a while, until his attention was drawn away by a soft howl. He came over and saw James lying on the ground, breathing heavily, but not moving.

Sirius didn't know if Remus would understand, but he nudged Remus and then pointed his nose toward the Shack. Sirius had to get James help, but he couldn't do it in animal form; that meant Remus had to return to the Shack or they'd risk him turning on them. Remus seemed to understand and took off. Sirius watched until he saw the silhouette of the wolf melt into that of the tree, then he returned to human form and dropped to his knees next to James.

While gently running his hands down the stag's neck, giving a cursory examination of the wounds, he called out to Peter. "Wormtail." Getting no reply, he yelled, "Wormtail!"

"I'm here." Peter, looking very afraid, stared at James the stag's prone form.

"Go find Hagrid. Tell him there are werewolves in the forest. Make sure you tell him three. I don't want Remus blamed for anything or getting in trouble." When Peter just continued to stare at James, Sirius snapped at him. "Peter!" Sirius watched as Peter jumped, his eyes wet with unshed tears, but at least he was looking at him now. "Wormtail, did you hear me?" When Peter nodded, he said, "Good. Go!"

As soon as Peter was on his way, Sirius looked down at James. "Prongs," he said softly. "What am I going to do with you? You just had to take on two at once, didn't you?" Sirius smirked, trying to keep his cool. "Can you transform?"

The stag nodded ever-so-slightly before reverting to his human form. "Pads…"

"Yeah, Prongs." Sirius knelt beside his friend.

"I've been bitten," he said quietly, as a tear slid from his eyes.

Though that had been obvious on first inspection, the words just now started sinking in, and Sirius sat in shock for a second. He reached out gently and turned his friend's head to get a look at the back of his neck. Cursing quietly, he turned James' head back. "It's nothing. A love bite. I'm sure Lily will do much worse in the future."

James started to chuckle, but choked on it as his throat constricted in fear and pain.

Sirius pulled James to a seated position. Once he was pretty sure James could sit on his own, he tore off a section of his robe to hold against the back of James' neck to stem the bleeding. "Can you stand?"

James nodded, but when he tried, he didn't get far before falling back to the ground.

"What is it?"

"My leg," James said as calmly as he could.

Sirius took a look at James' leg and saw that it, too, had been bitten. "Dammit James!" Sirius whispered. He sighed and ran his hand tiredly over his face and through his hair, then tore off another strip from his robe, which he tied around the wound on James' leg. His hands shook when he saw the blood streaks on his own hands – the blood of his brother. When James winced, he apologized. "Sorry. I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Any excuse to get out of your robes," James joked through chattering teeth.

"Are you cold?" Sirius asked. When James nodded, Sirius said, "Okay. Here." He took off his cloak and wrapped it around James. "I'm going to get you up and you can lean on me. We'll hobble our way to the castle. Okay?" James nodded again. Sirius wrapped James' arm around his neck and his own arm around James' waist, then Sirius heaved, trying to get him off the ground. He winced as the scratches on his side made themselves known by digging into him.

"A little help, bro," Sirius grunted. He tried again, and heard James groan in effort and pain, but he managed to get them standing. "Good."

"We can't go to Pomfrey," James whispered.

"I know," Sirius grunted, then turned toward the castle. "I hope this works," he mumbled to himself. "_Expecto_ _Petronum_." From his wand emerged a large dog, the perfect replication of his animagus form, except glowing, silvery-white. The dog turned to face him. "Find Gillette. Lead her to the Room of Requirement." With a flick of his wand, the dog was off like a shooting star toward its target. "Where's the cloak?" James fumbled in his pockets and pulled out the shimmering shroud. Sirius threw it over the two of them, and they started their journey toward the castle.

They had just entered the castle when James' head lolled unpleasantly and his legs gave out. The sudden weight change almost made Sirius drop with James to the floor, but he dug in and shifted his weight to keep his balance. "You weigh a ton, mate."

When James didn't reply, Sirius glanced at him. His eyes were closed. "Wake up, Prongs. Only chicks faint. Come on. Wakey-wakey." But try as he might, James was out. Sirius took the opportunity to levitate James as they had done to Peter so often before. He was thus able to move more quickly through the castle, hoping against hope that he wouldn't be caught, though considering the hour, he wasn't expecting to run into anyone.

- - - - -

Gillette was sleeping soundly in her dorm when she heard her name whispered. She groaned and rolled over, but she felt a presence nearby and it drew her out of her sleep. Opening her eyes, she nearly screamed as a huge glowing, white dog stood before her. Startled, her mind quickly jumped into high gear. This was a patronus. Why would someone be sending her a message – at least she assumed it was a message, since she didn't feel any dementors around. As she stared at the dog, looking roughly where its eyes should be - though it was hard to look at it at all, it being so bright and the room around her so dark - she heard a whispered voice, "Gillette… Room of Requirement." Curious, but also worried, she quickly got up, grabbed her night-robe, and hurried to the Room, following the dog as it glided in front of her.

By the time she arrived, she was out of breath from the quick pace of her journey. The door was already visible, as she thought it would be. She figured that if someone called her there, it would be open for her. Stepping inside, her breath caught. The room was dim, but the first thing she saw was two figures in the middle. One was lying with his head and feet propped up on pillows on a gurney, the other figure was standing next to the first, whispering quietly. It was the second figure who noticed her first.

"Gillette," Sirius said, her name coming out in a rush of relief. He seemed torn between rushing to her and staying where he was.

"Sirius?" Gillette asked in concern. She hurried over to him. His robe was torn and tattered looking. He looked pale and frightened, and there was blood on his hands and some streaked on his face. Had the light been better, she knew she would see it on his robes as well. "What happened?" she asked as she looked at the first figure – James.

"It's Pr – James. He's been bitten." Sirius abruptly stopped whatever explanation he was going to give.

Frowning, Gillette turned her attention to James. "James? How are you doing?" she asked, while trying to check his vitals.

"Shiny," James smiled, though he almost sounded drunk.

"He passed out on the way here. He just woke up."

Gillette pulled out her wand, then thought better of it. She would need her wand for more important things than light. Instead, she called out to the Room, "I need more light." Immediately the room brightened with soft light. She and Sirius blinked a few times, adjusting to the brightness. She looked at James' pupils. "Was he hit on the head?"

"No. He fainted from blood-loss, I think."

Gillette's frown deepened. "Where are you hurt, James?"

"Back of the neck and left leg," Sirius answered for James.

Gillette gently turned James head, and pulled back what she assumed was part of Sirius' robe, to get a better look at his neck. Then she moved to his leg, removing the temporary bandage Sirius had wrapped there. "This is way beyond me, Sirius. He needs to go to Madam Pomfrey."

"No!" the two teens said in unison.

"No?! Look, I can't do this," Gillette said, agitated and concerned for both boys.

"Haven't you learned how to deal with cuts and wounds, yet?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, but…"

"Please, Gillette. We can't go to Pomfrey."

"Why?"

"We don't have time for this. Just…" Sirius sighed again. He stepped forward and took Gillette's hands in his. "Please, Gill."

Gillette stared back into Sirius' pleading eyes and felt herself cave. In truth, she did _know_ how to take care of this; she'd just never done it by herself before. With a nod, she looked around the room to see what it had provided. The room was as well stocked as any hospital pantry she'd seen. She gathered a few things and placed them on a trolley. "Help me," she gently commanded to Sirius. He lifted James into a seated position.

Gillette lifted James' head and gave him a potion to drink to help with his blood-loss, as well as a general anesthetic for pain.

James let his head rest against Sirius' chest. This kept him from falling over, but meant Sirius was in an awkward position – half leaning over the gurney while trying to stand next to it at the same time. James' body felt leaden and very much out of his control. He probably would have been scared under other circumstances, but he was too out of it to care at the moment.

Gillette removed James' cloak, robe and shirt so she could make sure she saw the entire affected area. Then she cleaned the wounds on his neck. As she did so, she questioned Sirius. "What did this?" Sirius didn't answer at first. "Sirius? What did this?"

"I… we didn't see it."

Not looking up from what she was doing, she pressed, "Sirius. I can't do this right unless I know what did this. It looks like a dog or a wolf, but I haven't heard of any dogs in the area big enough to do this… and as far as I know, there aren't any wolves around." Sirius again remained silent. "Sirius…" Gillette finally looked up at him. "Do you want me to do this or not?"

"Werewolf," James muttered, chuckling slightly.

"What?" Gillette asked, confused by what James said.

Sirius looked stunned, and wondered if the potions had made James a little loopy, but now that James said it, what could he say? "A… A werewolf."

"Two, actually," James piped in, sounding rather pleased.

Gillette froze. Sirius was impressed that she didn't run away screaming; in fact she didn't move away from James at all.

"No," Gillette said.

Sirius nodded. "Yes."

"No! Not possible. I mean… a werewolf bite takes powerful magic – way beyond what I've learned – to heal. The wounds don't react the same as normal ones. But his are healing. They're stubborn, but they're healing."

"Maybe you're just better than you thought," Sirius smiled, trying to get the frown off of Gillette's face that had settled there ever since she entered the room. He found it disconcerting, as she was normally very cheerful.

Gillette started working on James again. She'd moved from cleaning the wounds with salves and potions to chanting various spells over them. Once she was satisfied, she picked up the conversation again. Looking Sirius directly in the eyes, she said, "Are you lying to me?"

"I wish I were," he answered solemnly.

After a long moment, she seemed satisfied. "Okay. Help me again. I still need to look at that leg." Sirius lowered James onto the gurney. "How are you doing, James?"

"Better."

"Any dizziness or lightheadedness?"

"No," he said, laughing slightly. "I feel okey-dokey."

"What did you give him?" Sirius asked bemusedly.

Ignoring Sirius, Gillette smirked at James, "So what were you doing taking a moonlight stroll with Sirius for? Lily might not be too happy about that."

He chuckled back, but then Gillette's last comment about Lily worked its way through the haze of his mind, and he became agitated. "Lily! What am I going to tell her?"

"Tell her the truth," Gillette offered.

"That I got bit by a werewolf? That'll go over well. We were supposed to have our first date tomorrow." James started wriggling around on the stretcher.

"James, I need you to calm down for me. You can throw a fit when I'm done… Until then I need you still."

"Sirius?" James called out.

Sirius immediately stepped into his friend's field of vision. "Yeah. I'm here."

"What am I going to do?"

"James, you need to lie still, like the pretty healer said."

"Here," Gillette interrupted. She handed James a vial of potion. He barely began to drink it when the need for sleep overwhelmed him and he succumbed. Gillette went back to tending the bite on his leg. "He was lucky that bite didn't tear any ligaments or tendons," she stated, half to herself.

After another half an hour of Gillette doing everything she knew how to do to help James recover, and quickly, she turned to Sirius. "So… You want to tell me what happened?" Gillette asked yet again.

When Sirius sat in a nearby chair, he winced. Gillette narrowed her eyes at him. "Take off your shirt," she ordered.

Sirius smirked and began, "I don't really think now's the time…" but he saw the no-nonsense expression on the girl's face and relented. "You've been spending too much time with Evans, you know."

Sirius took off his robe, and Gillette saw blood seeping through his shirt. When he lifted that off, he winced again, as the shirt was stuck to the drying cuts and needed to be pulled free of them. Gillette noticed a few other scratches on him as well, but they were fairly superficial. Silently, she went to work tending to Sirius' wounds, none of which were too severe. When she finished with him, she said, "We should get him to his room. Do you know the password?"

"Yeah."

They levitated James' stretcher before them, neither one speaking. Sirius listened carefully for any sign of professor, prefect, or ghost, but they made it to James' living quarters without incident. Sirius took James to his room and laid him on his bed. As he was coming out to the living area, he snagged one of James' shirts on the way into the living area. Removing his robe and putting on the clean shirt, he approached Gillette timidly. She was sitting on the couch. "Are you angry?"

Gillette sighed. "Explain to me what exactly happened… Please." She was still using her business tone, and it left Sirius feeling uncertain.

He told her an abbreviated version of the story – one in which he, James and Peter had been out on the grounds and they happened to came across three werewolves. They were attacked, but managed to scare them off. When he was done, he waited for a response, but Gillette just stared at him.

Finally, she said, "No. Three boys do not get attacked by three werewolves and live to tell about it. Plus, like I said, James' wounds are atypical of a normal werewolf attack – not that I've seen any first hand, but from what I've been studying. There's more to the story than what you're telling me."

"I can't tell you the whole story. There are too many secrets belonging to too many people involved here."

Gillette reached out her hand. "I understand that… I do. But, Sirius, you've put me in a very bad place. Werewolf attacks _have_ to be reported to the Ministry. It's the law. You're asking me to break the law and I don't know why."

Sirius considered this for a bit. "Okay, but swear to me that this stays in this room."

"I can't do that, Sirius! That's what I'm telling you. By all rights, I should already be on my way to Dumbledore to tell him what happened. I'll get into serious trouble for healing James without a mentor and Ministry involvement…"

"And what do you think will happen to James if everyone finds out he's a werewolf?" Sirius blurted out. "At best he'll be shunned and feared by nearly the entire school. At worst, he'll be kicked out along with…" Sirius clamped his mouth shut before he could say anything else.

"Who? Along with whom?" Gillette asked suspiciously. When Sirius refused to answer, she sighed frustratedly. Trying a different tack, she asked, "Why were you out there tonight?"

"We were exploring."

"In the middle of the night? Nu-uh. Why were you out there?"

Sirius deliberated his answer before asking her, "Did you know that a werewolf won't attack animals?"

Gillette was confused by Sirius' change in the conversational thread, but she nodded, acknowledging that she did, indeed, know that.

Looking up, Sirius said, "We're animagi. Prongs is a stag, Wormtail is a rat, and I'm…"

"A dog," Gillette finished, remembering the form the patronus had taken.

"Right."

"What about Remus - Moony?"

"He's not an animagus."

Gillette frowned. "Why not? What is he then? And what does this have to do with a were…wolf…" She suddenly gasped and jumped at the same time. "Oh my goodness!" Gillette stood up and began slowly pacing.

Sirius wondered what she was going to do with the information, and he watched her carefully for signs of fleeing.

Gillette, who had had her back to Sirius, spun on the spot as a new question jumped into her mind. "Is he the one that attacked James?"

"No! Absolutely not! In fact he helped drive the other three werewolves away." There were a couple minutes of silence before Sirius spoke again. "Gillette? Are you going to keep our secret?"

She didn't answer Sirius' question. Instead, she asked, "So you were out there tonight with Remus?"

Sirius nodded. "We became animagi so we could spend the full-moons with him. He… he gets rather… It's just better for him if he's not alone … he doesn't hurt himself."

Gillette nodded sympathetically. In her limited studies, she had come across information on how badly werewolves could get hurt if left to themselves in confinement. Sitting down next to Sirius again, she asked, "But then why did those other three attack you tonight?"

"They were trying to – I don't know – to lure Remus away from Hogwarts. James and I wouldn't let them."

Gillette collapsed against the back of the couch, resting her head on the back and wrapping her arm over her eyes.

"Gillette?... Gillette, what are you going to do? You can't tell anyone."

"Wait," Gillette suddenly sat up. "Where's Peter?"

"Wormtail went to get Hagrid – to let him know there are werewolves on the grounds."

"And Remus?"

"Remus went back to the Shack." Gillette gave Sirius a questioning look, so he explained, "The Shrieking Shack is where Moony goes each month to transform."

"The Shrieking Shack…" her voice trailed off. She was having a hard time keeping up with the influx of new information. "So why was he on grounds?"

Sirius looked at her guiltily. "We let him out to explore. He does better with freedom to roam."

Gillette groaned and leaned forward. She rested her head in her hands, with her elbows on her knees. This was too much information. She was simultaneously appalled at the Marauders' cavalier attitude, and yet impressed by all they'd done and accomplished for one of their own.

After a few seconds passed, Sirius tried again. "Gillette?..."

"No," Gillette said weakly, not looking up. "No, I'm not going to say anything. This is just… a lot to take in."

Sirius was surprised and concerned when he heard Gillette sniffle. He got on the floor and knelt in front of her, pulling her hands away from her face. "Hey… What's wrong? What is it?"

"Sorry, I'm just wiped… But… Are you okay?"

"What?"

"Sirius, you don't just heal from a werewolf bite. Two of your best friends are probably werewolves now. That's not going to be easy on any of you. And… Oh, Lily…" Gillette raised her head and glared at Sirius, taking him by surprise. "You're an idiot. You know that? You're not going to do anything stupid – like say… join your friends in their werewolf plight, are you?"

Sirius was taken aback by the abrupt change in emotion. "What? No! But I'm not going to stop hanging around with them, even during a full moon."

"Mmm, okay. You better not. You have no idea how lucky you were… are." Just as suddenly as she changed gears on him before, she did it again, throwing her arms around him and hugging him. "I'm so glad you're okay," she whispered.

Sirius held her back, tightly. So much had happened, he hadn't had a chance to process it all, either, and things were just beginning to sink in. "James," he whispered.

Gillette pulled back so she could look him in the eyes. She smirked slightly as she said, "No, I'm Gillette."

Sirius snorted. "No, I mean… I can't believe James is a werewolf…" Letting go of Gillette, he got to his feet and started pacing. Anger began to course through him as he thought of the three werewolves that attacked them, and that they had no way of knowing who they were.

To both Sirius' and Gillette's surprise, there was a knock on the door. They glanced at each other, and Sirius looked in on James briefly before walking to the door to open it. His stomach fell when the door opened on the last person he wanted to see. No, Mum and Dad were the last people he wanted to see right now.

"Professor Dumbledore," Sirius whispered, trying to recover his voice. It seemed the night was far from over.

- - - - -

A/N – Point of interest – I found out (after writing this chapter) that the Patronus being used as a method of communication was started by Dumbledore and used only by the Order (or… so saith Wikipedia). Again, for the purposes of this chapter… I needed a way for Sirius to communicate with Gillette, and I'm pretty sure he'd be able to conjure one, even at that age. Also, rest assured, I am not going AU with this - James will not become a werewolf. Everything will be worked out... just give it a chapter or two.

Thanks again to all who review. I hope you enjoy this segment. Thanks also to my betas who encouraged me much. Thank you mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 87

Sirius glanced from Dumbledore to the figure on his right. The Headmaster had his hand placed lightly, but firmly, on a terrified Peter's shoulder.

"Mr. Black," Dumbledore greeted warmly, but without any trace of his usual mirth. "May I come in?"

"Oh! Yes, Professor. Sorry, sir."

"Thank you. Good. I'm glad Miss Beynon is still here. And… Mr. Potter?"

"Is in his bedroom, sir," Sirius filled in what information he thought Dumbledore was looking for.

The Headmaster entered the Head Boy's living quarters, gently pushing Peter in front of him. Without waiting for Sirius to close the door, he headed to James' bedroom to check on the boy. Sirius sent a questioning look to Peter, who shrugged back guiltily. The three students waited in the living area for the Headmaster to return, each one casting glances at the other, wondering how much trouble they were in.

When Dumbledore joined them a minute later, he said, "You did fine work, Miss Beynon. I think, perhaps we should talk separately?" Dumbledore looked at Sirius for confirmation.

"It's all right, Professor," Sirius said tiredly. "She knows everything."

Peter squeaked and stared in surprise at his friend, who ignored him.

"Very good. Mr. Pettigrew tells me that the three of you – that would be: You, Mr. Pettigrew and Mr. Potter, not Miss Beynon," Dumbledore clarified, somewhat unnecessarily, "were out on the grounds tonight when you came upon three werewolves. Is that true?"

"Yes sir."

"And how is it that you survived?"

"Pr…" Sirius sighed again. He was way too tired for this. Even his body was beginning to protest the fact he was still awake. Starting again, he said, "James and I fought them off." Gillette noticed that Sirius left Remus' name out of the mix.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yes sir."

"As wizards?"

Sirius shifted and cleared his throat. "No, sir. As animagi."

"Most impressive," Dumbledore stated, the twinkle returning to his eyes.

Sirius would have reveled in the praise at another time, but he was too tired, and he still didn't know what Dumbledore would do with this information. Would they get into trouble for being unregistered? Would they have to register? Would they be expelled – or worse?

"I imagine you undertook that particular bit of magic to accompany Mr. Lupin during his transformations?" Sirius nodded, but made no attempt to divulge more information. "Poppy has told me," Dumbledore continued, and Sirius wondered briefly who Poppy was, "that Remus' transformations have been much less… dangerous for him – at least during the school year."

_So Poppy must be Madam Pomfrey_. "Yes sir. We're able to keep him occupied so he doesn't turn on himself."

Dumbledore searched Sirius' face, as if looking for answers to questions he hadn't yet asked. Sirius remained impassive and, despite being tired, he felt the need to reinforce what he'd learned in his occlumency training. He wanted to make sure Dumbledore didn't learn anything more than he was willing to share, however good the Headmaster's intentions.

After a moment, Dumbledore said, "You will be happy to know that we have managed to capture all three of the werewolves Mr. Pettigrew warned us about. We will know in the morning who they are."

"Good!" Sirius said darkly.

A twitch of a smile touched Dumbledore's mouth. He turned his attention to Gillette. "Miss Beynon, you know that it is illegal to treat and subsequently not report a werewolf attack, correct?"

"Yes sir. But… if I may?" Dumbledore nodded for Gillette to continue. "At the time, I did not know James had been attacked by a werewolf and his wounds reacted the way normal wounds should react to medicine…"

"Indeed?" Dumbledore interrupted.

"Yes sir, so I had no way of knowing until I got the whole story… from Sirius… later."

Dumbledore looked between Gillette and Sirius a few times. To Sirius, he appeared amused, as if he knew that things were being kept from him, but was enjoying the attempt at secrecy. Sirius wondered, not for the first time, what exactly Dumbledore knew.

"Mr. Potter was in his animagus form when he was attacked?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes sir," Sirius confirmed.

"Very good." Professor Dumbledore seemed satisfied for the moment and he stood to leave. "Will you be staying here for the night, Mr. Black?"

"Uh-I… Yes sir." He hadn't really thought about it, but he did want to be around when James awoke, and he got the impression that Dumbledore wanted him here.

"Very good. I will be calling on him in the morning, along with Madam Pomfrey and Mr. and Mrs. Potter." Sirius made an odd guttural noise at this news, but if Dumbledore heard it, he didn't indicate that he had. "I think Poppy will be pleased to see what her apprentice was capable of." Dumbledore smiled kindly at Gillette. "Good night."

He made his way toward the door, but Sirius stopped him. "Sir?"

"Yes, Mr. Black?"

"What's going to happen, Sir?"

"One never can tell." And with that, he left, leaving behind three very confused teens.

Sirius turned to Peter, "What happened?"

Peter looked nervous, feeling he'd let the others down by getting the Headmaster involved. His words spilled out in a rush. "I went to get Hagrid, like you said, but Hagrid sent a message to Professor Dumbledore. I had to wait in Hagrid's cabin until they got back. When they did, Professor Dumbledore indicated that they caught the werewolves and he started asking me questions. I told him James had been hurt and was with you. After checking the hospital wing, he came straight here."

Sirius frowned during the story. "Is that all you told them? Did you mention Moony?"

"N-no. He didn't even come up."

"Fine. Go on back to the dorm. Looks like I'm staying here for the night."

"By myself?" Peter's eyes darted around like he expected someone or some thing to jump out at any moment. He also resented being dismissed, but wasn't about to say so, or contradict Sirius on a night like tonight.

Sirius rolled his eyes, "Geez, Wormtail. It's not like you don't know where everyone is."

"Yeah, but…"

Turning to Gillette, Sirius asked, in a tone letting Peter know he was disgusted by Peter's fear, "Can you escort him back?"

"Yes, but I'll be back in the morning to check on James." Gillette stepped forward and took Sirius' hand. "Get some rest."

Sirius swept her into a hug, needing the comfort and closeness of the touch. "I will," he whispered, "And thanks."

Gillette pulled away to look up into Sirius' face, and gently placed her hands on either side of his head. She offered him a slight smile, but didn't say anything, then abruptly turned and left, leaving Peter to follow in her wake.

Left suddenly alone, save for a sleeping James, Sirius felt the weight of the evening come crashing down on him. He fell onto the couch and lay there until the sun came up, his mind never stopping as it replayed the evening and dwelt on possibilities of things to come.

At five in the morning, sleep still eluding him, Sirius decided to sneak back into his dorm to pick up fresh clothes for the day. He could get away with borrowing James' shirts, but there was a significant height difference between the two and Sirius would never fit into James' pants. So he grabbed his clothes and headed back to the Head Boy dorm to shower. By the time he was done, it was nearly six. He lay back on the couch until he heard James start to stir.

As he heaved himself off the couch to check on James, he heard a tap on the door. When he opened the door, Gillette entered, looking tired but lovely to his exhausted eyes.

"Did you get any sleep?" Gillette asked.

"No. You?"

"Not really. How is he?"

"I was just going to check on him. He started moving for the first time since you gave him that potion."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Gillette made her way to James' bedroom, followed closely by Sirius. "You might want to wake him," she suggested.

"Prongs," Sirius called quietly. "Prongs," he said a little louder and added a nudge to his shoulder.

James groaned and opened one eye. "Tell me again why I agreed to give you the password?"

Sirius snorted. "Hey. The nurse is here to check on you, mate."

It took about a second for that statement to sink in and then both of James' eyes popped open and he sat up.

"Hey James. How are you feeling this morning?" Gillette asked, while smiling kindly at him.

"Fine. Good." And it was true. He wasn't in pain anymore, nor was he groggy or cold. He felt he could have gotten more sleep, but under the circumstances, he wasn't about to complain.

"Good. I'd like to check your neck and leg, if that's okay. I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will check it again later."

"What?" James asked in worried confusion.

"Yeah. You missed a lot last night. Not the least of which is that Mum and Dad are coming for a visit." Sirius kept his tone light, but he was nervous, not just about the Potters coming, but about how James would react when it finally sank in what happened the previous night.

James groaned and laid back on his bed.

"No, no. I need to have a look at you," Gillette stated, encouraging James to get up again. She wanted to check him over before he went to see Madam Pomfrey. She not only wanted to make sure that everything looked right, but she was curious about how his wounds were healing. She hadn't been able to sleep when she went back to her room, so she dug out some of her Healer and Mediwizard books trying to find out all she could about werewolf bites. "Come on. Sit up."

James complied and allowed Gillette to examine his neck and leg wounds. She didn't say too much, though she was frowning slightly. "And the damage?" James asked.

"Well, I still don't understand how those are werewolf bites…" Gillette trailed off, still examining James.

James cast Sirius a questioning glance.

"Hey, don't look at me," Sirius said, much to James' surprise. "You're the one who bragged about it taking two werewolves to take you down."

"Wha…?" James was horrified. He didn't remember saying anything; though he didn't remember much beyond the fight.

Gillette laughed lightly at the look on James' face. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me… All of you."

James frowned at Sirius, who shrugged.

"Later," Sirius said. "Right now we have to get our stories straight. Dumbledore knows you, Peter and I encountered three werewolves in the forest. He knows we're animagi." James started to protest, but Sirius held up his finger, indicating he should wait. "He does not know Remus was with us – at least neither Peter nor I told him that. However," Sirius sighed frustratedly, "He and Hagrid captured the three werewolves that were after Remus. If they say anything about Remus being around… we're all screwed."

"What about Remus? What if he says he was there?" James asked, getting worried.

"Hopefully they won't wake him. I'm sure after being trapped in the Shack all night, he's going to be pretty wrecked."

James ran his fingers through his hair. "This is so not good."

"Dumbledore may question the werewolves, but the Ministry won't," Gillette offered. Both Sirius and James looked at her. "The Ministry doesn't consider them viable witnesses, so they don't bother questioning them in cases of an attack. It's probably the last testimony the victim of an attack will ever get to make and still be believed."

James' head dropped and his fingers went through his hair again.

Gillette put her hand on his shoulder. "Sorry James."

He nodded. This was all so surreal. He couldn't be a werewolf. It wasn't that he had anything against them – against Remus. But it was something he never thought would or could happen to him. He knew his friends wouldn't care, but in the real world, he'd never be trusted again. He wouldn't be allowed to make business decisions or, after Umbridge's latest laws, to apply for most jobs. He'd have to register with the Ministry. He began to empathize with Remus in a way he had never wanted to.

"Prongs?" Sirius saw the weight that he felt last night begin to settle on James. Of course, it was different for James, since he was the one attacked, but it was just as real.

James got up slowly from his bed. "I'm going to take a shower." Sirius nodded and let him go.

James stood in the shower for a long time, letting the water run over him. He felt stuck in the moment, not able to change what had happened the night before and dreading what the future held. It hit him the hardest when he thought of Lily. What would she say and do? Was this the end of the relationship – dead before it even had a chance to grow into something great? Was it fair to ask her to stay with him? Their life wouldn't be easy, and he only wanted to make her happy, not make her life more difficult. Maybe he could just stay in the shower indefinitely.

As if in response to that thought, there came a knock on the door. James heard Sirius' muffled voice through the door, "Prongs, you all right?"

James was touched by the concern he heard in Sirius' voice. At least, if he didn't get the woman of his dreams, he'd still have his friends. "Yeah." He had tried to make his response sound cheerful, but it didn't, not even to him.

By the time he was dressed and stepped out of the bathroom, Gillette and Sirius weren't the only one's waiting for him. Mrs. Potter ran up to her son, tears in her eyes, and embraced him like she hadn't seen him in years, and at the moment, childish though it seemed to him, James wanted nothing more than to be held by his mum. Mr. Potter came up and joined the two in a family hug. As much as his dad loved him, Mr. Potter was not a physically affectionate man, so the embrace by his father, rather than relieving his concern, only deepened it, as it served to emphasize how serious the situation was.

James' vision was blurred when he finally lifted his head, and it wasn't because he wasn't wearing his glasses. He sought out Sirius over his mother's shoulder, knowing that the other teen would also be deeply affected by what had happened. James saw that he was taking comfort by holding on tightly to Gillette.

The silence was broken, apart from the occasional sniffles from Mrs. Potter, by Dumbledore clearing his throat. Mr. Potter immediately let go of his wife and son. "Albus," he said, acknowledging the other man's presence.

"I'd like to speak with you all, but I wish to do so with Mr. Pettigrew and Mr. Lupin present as well. We should head to the hospital wing, since Madam Pomfrey is, no doubt, wondering what is keeping us." Turning to Gillette, he requested, "My dear, would you please fetch Mr. Pettigrew and ask him to meet us at the hospital wing. No need for you to accompany him."

Gillette frowned slightly, but nodded her understanding. She was not welcome at the meeting. That was fine; she had an important meeting of her own. "James, I'm going to let Lily know you might be late." James looked as if he were about to say something but, instead, nodded and gave her a weak smile.

Everyone left the Head Boy's living quarters, with only Gillette taking a different path. They went to the hospital wing, traveling past several students along the way. They received strange looks from those they passed, most of them wondering what kind of trouble Sirius and James were in that the Headmaster and the Potters were escorting the boys. Whispers broke out almost as soon as the students passed the group, and it began to grate on James' nerves.

When they finally arrived at the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey was, indeed, waiting for them. After instructing James to sit on the nearest bed, she pulled the curtains, told him to disrobe, and started muttering to herself. The muttering stopped soon after the examination began. Once she was finished, she told James he could get dressed. She bustled off to retrieve a potion and then returned, offering it to James.

Peter arrived during James' examination.

When James reappeared from behind the curtain, Dumbledore indicated the whole group should head toward Remus' end of the room. Madam Pomfrey insisted on waking Remus herself so she could give him a potion and tend to him, making sure he was ready for company. When she had finished, the curtains were kept in place to help provide maximum privacy, and everyone entered the cubicle.

Mrs. Potter gasped at the sight of the boy, arms and hands bandaged, as well as a few cuts on his face and neck. The previous night had been difficult for Remus, despite the fact that he only spent half the night in the shack. Shortly after returning to his refuge, the wolf seemed to resent being locked away when it should have been free to roam with its pack – especially after the victory in battle. As a result, he had several cuts and bites on his arms and legs, a few of which would add to his collection of scars. Remus blushed slightly at Mrs. Potter's reaction to him, as well as the unusually large gathering at his bedside. He was slightly confused about what was going on, but decided to keep quiet, knowing that, sooner or later, it would all be explained.

"Hey Moony," Sirius greeted. Remus noted it was without his usual cheerfulness.

"Poppy, if you will," Dumbledore started the unofficial meeting.

Madam Pomfrey hesitated. "Yes, Headmaster. For appearance's sake, Mr. Potter seems fine. Gillette did a wonderful job tending to his injuries. I'm… surprised…flabbergasted, really, as to why he looks so well. Gillette does not have the experience to deal with werewolf bites properly and should not have been able to heal him at all."

When Madam Pomfrey mentioned the werewolf bites, Remus' eyes shot to James, who was looking at the floor, and then to Sirius. Sirius gave the slightest shake of his head, indicating they'd explain things later. Remus' mind started working overtime, recalling exactly what had happened the night before. His mind settled on the encounter with the other werewolves. It was here, however, that things became fuzzy. It seemed that the more in control the wolf was, the less he remembered. He did have a vague notion that James had been injured, and he clearly remembered Sirius indicating he should return to the shack. Putting two and two together, he surmised that James had been bitten during the encounter with the other werewolves. Remus frowned at this. That was not something he would wish on his worst enemy, let alone one of his best friends.

Sirius watched as Remus allowed himself to be swallowed by guilt. He knew what his friend was thinking – had he not been their friend, James would never have been out in the forest and encountered the werewolves. Sirius sighed as he could visibly see Remus' shoulders sag under the weight. This would have to be dealt with later.

Madam Pomfrey continued, "But he's doing quite well. He had a few other bruises, from the scuffle, I imagine, but I gave him a potion to take care of that."

"Very good," Professor Dumbledore stated. "And our Mr. Lupin?" The Potters cast curious glances at Remus, not yet having realized why he was there.

"Remus had a bit of a rough night last night – not especially out of the ordinary, however, and he will recover just fine."

"Thank you, Poppy. That will be all."

As Madam Pomfrey left, she let another person into the enclosure.

"Sorry I'm late, Albus. We had a bit of trouble… but that can wait," Professor McGonagall stated. She surveyed the scene before her. She could not remember a time when the Marauders had ever looked so downcast – not all of them at once, anyway – and it was heartbreaking. As much trouble as the four boys were during their time here, she had grown quite fond of them. She supposed that had to do with the inordinate amount of time she spent with two of their members – James and Sirius – thanks to detentions.

"You are right on time, as a matter of fact," Dumbledore said calmly. "I want to meet with all of you for a reason, as you may have guessed. First, I wish to address the Potters – Charles, Eileen, James and Sirius." Sirius blushed slightly, not sure if he felt glad to have been included or guilty for intruding on the family. "I… have a theory that… due to James' animagus form…"

"What?" It was Mrs. Potter who had interrupted, but all of the adults were staring at Dumbledore in disbelief.

Dumbledore's mouth twitched in that subtle way that indicated he wanted to smile. He did have a soft spot for troublemakers – ah, the stories he could tell from his own youth. "Your son, Mrs. Potter, is an animugus."

James couldn't help but smile slightly, knowing that what he had accomplished was near impossible for a wizard his age. When he glanced at his father, his smile only increased at seeing the gleam of pride in his father's eyes.

Dumbledore waited for Mrs. Potter to indicate she had absorbed that piece of information before moving on. "I believe that, due to James' animagus form, he may have been… protected from the werewolf bites. Now," Dumbledore held up his hand at the hopeful look that immediately appeared on the Potters' faces, "This may only be a possibility. However, some of the cursory evidence seems to support this theory – namely that his wounds are acting much like normal wounds rather than those caused by a werewolf. We will still need to take precautions, however. We will have to find a place for him in case he does transform next month."

"Why not the Shack?"

"It is too dangerous. If you do not transform, then you will be trapped in the Shack with Mr. Lupin, who will, most definitely, transform," Professor McGonagall reminded.

"What?!" Mrs. Potter interrupted again, sending a slightly scared glance Remus' way.

James ignored his mother's outburst and argued, "Yes, but I can always turn into my animagus form, and then I'll be perfectly safe."

"Indeed," Dumbledore nodded.

Mr. Potter looked at Remus in a more appraising way, letting the pieces of the puzzle fall together – why his son had chosen to become an animagus in the first place. By James and Sirius' reaction to Remus, it was obviously not this boy who had attacked their son. He would have to ask for the full story later.

"Very well," Dumbledore continued, "if that is all right with Mr. Lupin?" he turned to face Remus and awaited a response.

"Yes," Remus nodded, conscious of the way the Potters were looking at him. "That's fine."

"Now, on to other matters. I do apologize - Charles, Eileen – for being so forward, but I find this to be a rather urgent matter." The Potters nodded their acceptance of the apology and waited to see what was coming. "We, as you know, apprehended the werewolves who managed to come on grounds last night. I have decided not to involve the Ministry in this matter, for a number of reasons, some of which I would like to share with you now." He again waited for the Potters' approval to proceed. It seemed as though Mrs. Potter wanted to interrupt, but Mr. Potter squeezed her shoulder gently and she remained quiet. "After questioning them, the consensus among them was that they were given orders to try to lure our Mr. Lupin away from the school." As he said this, he looked directly at Remus. "It seems that their orders came from Fenrir, who is currently working with Voldemort." Mrs. Potter inhaled sharply, causing a quiet hissing sound. "Quite," Dumbledore commented. "It seems that your boys ran interference, without considering the cost to themselves." Here Dumbledore looked proudly at Sirius and James. "And, of course, without Mr. Pettigrew's assistance, we may not have gotten them in time." Here Dumbledore looked at Peter, who grinned sheepishly back.

"But why don't you want the Ministry involved? It seems if they're connected to… He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, then that makes Ministry involvement even more imperative," Mrs. Potter wondered.

"Aside from the fact that if I inform the Ministry, James, here, will be labeled a werewolf before we're entirely sure what is going to happen to him. Additionally," Dumbledore paused, considering his wording. "Because they proved rather… useful," Dumbledore said, while the Marauders' exchanged glances. "They were able to give us quite a bit of necessary information. We decided that it was best for all involved if this… incident… remained… private."

"Excuse me, Professor," Sirius interrupted. "Who's 'we'?"

James picked up Sirius' thread, "Right. Obviously, you're not talking about the Ministry."

At this, Dumbledore did smile and glanced ever so briefly and Minerva. "Quite right. The Ministry has certain… limitations, not to mention we disagree about a good number of things that I will not discuss at this time. Suffice it to say, I have put together a small group of people who are willing to do what is necessary to fight Voldemort and his forces – aiding the Ministry in its efforts."

The Marauders had surmised as much already but, to hear it confirmed by Dumbledore himself, surprised and even thrilled the Marauders. At last they were getting involved.

"We call ourselves The Order of the Phoenix." Dumbledore stated this rather casually, but everyone seemed to intuitively sense the importance of this moment. He had just exposed a secret organization to the four boys, and the Potters, and they had to decide if they were wholly in or not. "Now, I understand that you have been doing some recruiting, yourselves."

"Yes sir," Remus replied, wondering how exactly Dumbledore knew that, though no longer surprised that he did.

"Very good. I will not ask for those names until they are ready to come forward. I am asking if you wish to be a part of The Order."

"Professor," Mrs. Potter objected. "They're just boys. You're asking them to pick sides in a war… based on very little information about your organization, I might add…"

"Mum," James interrupted. "We're part of this already. We've already been attacked. A friend of ours lost her parents. We're part of this. We decided at the beginning of the year we weren't going to just stand by and watch as Death Eaters infiltrate the school. Which they are, you know. They're recruiting from the student body."

"At least this way, we can help keep an eye on things here and be able to inform people who can actually do something about what's going on," Sirius added.

"And we'll be a lot safer here than we will be next year out there. This is the best place to learn the ropes," Remus joined the attempt to convince Mrs. Potter this was the right thing to do.

"We really can be useful. And I doubt we'll be doing anything too dangerous since we can't even leave school grounds," Peter added, not really sure why he was trying to convince someone else's parents to let him join, and not even sure if he really wanted to join.

"Besides, mum," James added quietly, "We're all seventeen. You can't really…"

"I can!" Mrs. Potter snapped back, causing the boys to cringe. "As long as you're living under my roof, I can!"

"Hon," Mr. Potter said calmly into his wife's ear. "It's their time, now."

Mrs. Potter considered this for a few seconds. "They're just so young. I can still remember James in diapers."

"Mum!" James said, turning pink with embarrassment, as the other boys snickered quietly.

Mrs. Potter rushed forward and pulled both her boys into a hug. "Mmm. Just promise me you'll be safe."

James smiled and gave a slight nod to Dumbledore, who had been watching the scene play out with amusement.

Sirius pulled away first. "I do have a question, sir."

"I encourage you to ask," Dumbledore stated.

"What will happen to the werewolves… who attacked James last night?"

"They have been dealt with."

Apparently that was the only information they were going to get and Sirius frowned. He was tempted to push for more; after all, weren't they part of the Order now? But James nudged him gently, so he kept his mouth shut.

"Very good," Dumbledore said, when no one seemed to have anything else to say. "We will formalize certain things later. I don't think I need to remind you of the importance of secrecy in these matters, though I have full confidence in you; after all, you are quite adept at keeping secrets already. If you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend." Dumbledore nodded farewell to the group. "Minerva, I trust you will take things from here."

"Of course, Albus." Minerva, who had been sitting quietly through most of the meeting, rose to her feet. With that assurance, Dumbledore left the small group.

All in all, they were incredibly lucky. There was still hope that James might not be a werewolf. The Ministry wouldn't be involved, so there wouldn't be any repercussions for James or Remus. Nor were they going to have to register as animagi. They all hoped their luck held out – for James' sake.

- - - - -

A/N - I realize that I have stepped slightly into AU territory here. The indication in the series is that Dumbledore did not know, or at least had never been told, about the animagi forms or that the boys accompanied Remus at each full moon. I justify it by saying he probably did know and just let things play out (after all, he never showed the slightest surprise to learn about Sirius' animagus form - not that we ever see that revelation). I leave it up to you to decide if he knew they actually left the shack or not. I, personally, like to think there are some things Dumbledore doesn't know. He is, after all, still human. Personally, I'm not sure how Dumbledore didn't find out with the "Snape Incident," but I digress.

Thanks again for all of the wonderfully encouraging reviews. Thank you to my betas - Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton. Thank you and love.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer - Usual

Chapter 88

The Marauders, Potters, and McGonagall spent another hour or so discussing the Order and what its purpose was, what would happen if James was a werewolf – a topic in which McGonagall was not nearly as optimistic as Dumbledore, and the boys' progress in school. McGonagall eventually excused herself, after letting the Potters know they were welcome to stay for the day. They visited with Remus a little longer, the Potters asking questions about his life as a werewolf.

It was odd for Remus to talk about it so openly with people he barely knew, but he trusted James and wanted to help him any way he could through this and so, by extension, he trusted James' parents.

After some time, they left the hospital wing and James said, "Well… I guess I'll let you know what happens."

"You do that, dear," Mrs. Potter said, "But I am not leaving yet. I would like to speak with Gillette."

"But… I…" James sighed. At this rate, he would never get his date with Lily and he really didn't think he'd be given another chance, no matter what Gillette told her. "Fine," he said resignedly, and led his parents to the common room.

There wasn't a single student above second year in the common room. Being a Hogsmeade weekend, it was rare to see third or fourth-years around, but this was also traditionally the only weekend seventh-years went to Hogsmeade, due to the incredible amount of preparation that was required for their N.E.W.T.s. 

James called to the nearest second-year, "Hey, have you seen Gillette?"

"No," the small girl answered. "But I think she's with Miss Lily."

James smirked at the formal title some of the younger students had adopted with Lily. She was so mature that many of them thought of her as something of a den mother and gave her the semi-formal title. 

James led the small group back out into the corridor and up to the Head Girl's living quarters. He knocked on her door, half hoping she wasn't there.

A moment later, the door opened. "James!" Lily greeted. She scanned him quickly from head to toe, as if looking for evidence of injury.

"Is Gillette around?" he asked, avoiding the topic of their date for as long as possible. Lily frowned in confusion at his request, so he explained, "My mum wants to talk with her."

"Oh," Lily looked past James for the first time and noticed the group standing behind him. She blushed suddenly and said, "I'm sorry. Come in. Gillette's here." Lily stood aside to allow everyone to enter the small dorm, each one greeting her as they passed. 

As the small crowd entered, Gillette stood to face them.

"Ah, my dear," Mrs. Potter stepped forward and hugged the girl. "Thank you so much for what you did for my son." She stepped back, holding the girl at arms' length.

Gillette glowed with pride. "You're welcome. I just wish I could have done more."

"Oh pish-posh," Mrs. Potter said, patting her hand. "Now… have you had lunch, dears?"

"No, ma'am," Gillette answered.

"Well, I think this is a perfect day for a picnic."

"Mum…" James tried to interrupt.

"Be a dear and get some food. Here…" Mrs. Potter walked over to Lily's desk and made a list. As she did, James rolled his eyes and whispered an apology to Lily, who smiled at him in a funny sort of way that let him know it was okay. 

"Eileen, hon. What are you doing?" Mr. Potter asked. He had a feeling James didn't really want them there, but his wife sometimes liked to do things her way.

"Making… a… list," she said, pausing after each word as she wrote something down. "Done. Yes. Here you go, James." Mrs. Potter handed her son the list she'd written out.

"Mum," James said in an exasperated voice. "We don't need all of this."

"Just go get it, dear. We'll set up out by the lake."

James sighed and shook his head. "Okay. Come on Pads, Wormtail." James gestured for the two to follow him.

Sirius watched the scene unfold with amusement. He loved James' mum and how she took care of things. He also had a feeling, seeing the expression on Lily's face, that Lily wasn't bothered in the least missing out on a Hogsmeade trip.

The Marauders – minus one – went to the kitchens to nic what they needed for the picnic and then headed to the lake. The day was surprisingly comfortable. It was sunny and there was a slight breeze, making a cloak necessary, but it was not too cold to be enjoyable. When the teens arrived at the near end of the lake, they immediately spotted Mr. and Mrs. Potter and the girls. Mrs. Potter had conjured up a rather large blanket on which they could all sit comfortably. She also conjured a picnic basket containing plates, silverware, goblets and a rather large pitcher, and cloth napkins. 

"Oi," James rolled his eyes. "She's pulled out all the stops." Sirius smirked at the scene. Peter, however, who had been unusually quiet the whole morning, only frowned.

The girls helped the Marauders set out the food, insisting that Mrs. Potter had done enough and they could at least do this. 

The food was delicious and the company pleasant. Lily kept casting glances at James that made the butterflies in his stomach take flight, and he couldn't help but smile, all thoughts of the previous evening temporarily put out of his mind.

Once the meal was over, Mrs. Potter launched into "Mother Potter's Story Time" also known as "How Embarrassed Can James Get Time." It was then that Sirius invited Peter to play Frisbee with him and Mr. Potter invited himself along for the game. After another minute or two, Gillette got up to join them, leaving Lily in the company of James and his mother.

As embarrassing as some of the stories were for James, he was glued to his spot on the blanket. He was enamored with the way Lily laughed at each story and her eyes danced with mirth, occasionally falling on James to confirm that the stories were all real. Then, at some point, Mrs. Potter asked Lily a few questions and suddenly their roles were reversed. Lily was telling Mrs. Potter humorous stories about her son's time away from home, making Mrs. Potter laugh, and occasionally tsk ather son's behavior. This only deepened James' admiration for the red-head sitting across from him. He had not thought Lily would have anything nice to say about him from their previous years together at school. He was surprised to see how much she remembered of, and seemed to treasure, their time together. 

He watched carefully as the two women became familiar with each other, occasionally reaching out to touch each other to add emphasis in a story. It was as if they had known each other for years and James could just imagine future family gatherings, holidays. James caught himself before that line of thinking could go much further; after all, he and Lily hadn't even had a date yet - not to mention this latest roadblock in their relationship.

He was so entranced by Lily's voice, and how she spoke of him, that he was caught off-guard when his mum leaned over and jovially said, "Close your mouth, dear, you're catching flies." He snapped his mouth shut and blushed, not for the first time that afternoon, and was rewarded with another lilting laugh from Lily.

Mr. Potter joined them some time later, adding stories of his own, but mostly listening to the women talk and resting from the game of Frisbee. Eventually, the stories turned away from James and they began to really get to know each other – Mrs. Potter asking questions about Lily and what she wanted to do once she finished school, and about her family. She sympathized with Lily's home life and shared wisdom born of age and experience.

James looked up when he heard someone approach, and saw Sirius and Gillette coming over to them. It was only then that he noticed the sun was starting to go down and the wind was picking up.

"We're going to head in for dinner," Sirius said, feeling guilty for interrupting. "I just wanted to say good-bye to Mum and Dad."

"Oh heavens!" Mrs. Potter declared. "I hadn't realized it was so late." She immediately began to gather up the dishes.

"Let me do that, Mrs. Potter," Lily offered.

"Thank you, dear. I do apologize for keeping you all so long." She turned and playfully hit Mr. Potter on the chest, "You should have said something."

"It's not a problem, Mrs. Potter. I had a lovely time," Lily smiled kindly and James' heart skipped a beat.

James looked around and noticed one of their group was missing. "Where's Wormtail?"

"He decided to head in earlier – something about catching up on some studying," Sirius replied. 

Once everything was packed in the basket, Mrs. Potter vanished it. She attempted to stand but didn't quite make it and had to try again.

"Mum?" James reached out to help her up.

"I'm fine, dear," she waved him off. Lily gathered up the blanket and handed that back to Mrs. Potter who vanished that as well. The group turned and headed back to the castle.

Sirius turned his head to make a comment to Gillette and noticed she was frowning while watching Mrs. Potter. Sirius turned his attention back to Mrs. Potter and saw that she was holding tightly to Mr. Potter's arm, as if for stability rather than simply out of affection. 

Once they arrived at the Entrance Hall, everyone said their good-byes, each one hugging Mrs. Potter.

After Gillette hugged Mrs. Potter, she looked at her closely. "Mrs. Potter," she said quietly, not wanting to draw the attention of the others, "Are you feeling all right?"

Mrs. Potter's smile faltered for just an instant before she patted Gillette's cheek fondly, "I'm fine, dear. It's been a long, emotional day and I'm not as young as I used to be… You will make an excellent Mediwizard."

Frowning again, Gillette replied, "Thank you, ma'am. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"Of course. I intend to see my grandchildren one day," she said with a wink in James' and Lily's direction. The two women said a final farewell and Gillette rejoined her friends.

The teens waved to the Potters as they headed in a different direction, presumably Dumbledore's office, or perhaps McGonagall's.

After such a wonderful afternoon, it struck James as odd that an uncomfortable silence fell over the group. Each of them seemed to be lost in his or her thoughts, yet having much they wanted to say to each other.

Lily finished eating first and excused herself from the table. Seeing that she was leaving, James grabbed a roll and an apple from the table and followed her out.

"Lily," James called to her once they were out of the Great Hall. She stopped and waited for him as he jogged to catch up to her. "I, uh," James ran his fingers through his hair. "I wanted to apologize for not making our date today." 

Lily examined James closely, making him slightly uncomfortable, though at least she didn't look angry. "We definitely need to talk about what happened." James dropped his head like a scolded puppy. "But I wouldn't say we missed our date. I wouldn't trade this afternoon for all the Hogsmeade visits in the world," she smiled gently at him.

James smiled back, relief evident on his face. The two started walking toward the Heads' living quarters. "My mum really likes you."

"She's a very sweet lady. Funny, too. She reminds me a little of my mum," Lily added with a sad smile. "I think they would have gotten along. Your Dad's great too. I can see where you get your trouble-making side."

James gasped in mock offense, "Lily Evans, I resent that! I am Head Boy, after all, and I will not have you besmudging my good name."

"Mmm, 'besmudging,' eh?" she laughed lightly.

"I love your laugh," James said without thinking. He was immediately embarrassed at having spoken the thought out loud, but Lily smiled sweetly at him. 

"Thank you."

The next thing James knew, Lily's small, delicate hand had slipped into his and the two of them walked amiably back to her room; James grinning stupidly the whole way.

Lily said the password to her living quarters and stepped inside. Turning to face James, she asked, "Will you come in?"

Surprised by the offer, James enthusiastically answered, "Yea!"

Lily shifted so he could enter, then she took his cloak and laid both his and hers on the back of the chair at her desk. She gestured for him to sit on her couch. Sitting facing him, she said, "So…"

James was still grinning broadly, and responded, "Yeah. So…"

"Will you tell me what happened?"

The smile faded from his face as he thought about what to tell her. Stalling for time, he asked, "What do you know?"

"Gillette told me that you were injured last night, after midnight, and that Sirius had called on her to ask for her help healing you. She assured me that you were not out pranking or being irresponsible. When I asked her why Sirius had asked for her help rather than going to the hospital wing, she would only say that it was a necessary precaution. Then she _highly_ recommended that I talk with you. The only other thing I know is that she's very stressed about what happened."

James frowned at this. "Did she say why?"

"No."

James sighed and rubbed his eyes. He suddenly felt very tired. "I… can't really tell you any more than that."

"James…!" 

James could tell she was gearing up for a tirade, so he stopped her before she got started, "Listen, I need to talk to… some people. I promise you, after that I will tell you what I can, but this doesn't just involve me, so I need to know exactly what I can tell you."

Lily thought about this for a moment before nodding, "Okay. But you'll tell me what you can, right?"

"Yes. Definitely. I promise."

"Okay."

The rest of the evening they spent talking about random topics – family, school work, quidditch – whatever came to mind. It was nearing midnight when James left Lily and returned to his own room.

- - - - -

A/N - See what happens when James and Lily get together? Fluff abounds. Anyway, thanks again to all who read and review and add me to your alerts. Thank you much. Thank you also to my wonderful betas - Mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton. Love.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer – Usual.

Chapter 89

While James and Lily were talking in her living quarters, Sirius and Gillette finished dinner and went for a short walk.

"Gillette." Sirius wanted to make sure he had her attention.

"Yea, Sirius."

"What's wrong with mum?"

Gillette glanced at Sirius. "It's probably nothing." 

Sirius grabbed Gillette's arm to stop her from walking and to turn her to face him, then he waited for the truth. "What? It's probably nothing. I asked her if she was okay and she just said she was tired from an emotionally taxing day and that she was getting old. Considering all she's had to deal with in the last twelve hours, that's very possible."

"But?"

Gillette looked away, uncomfortable. "Sirius, I really can't… I'm not qualified to think there may be something wrong. I've been doing this nurse thing for all of a month, and that's only when I have time."

Sirius took her head in his hands and tilted it so she was looking at him. "You're very good at what you do; even Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore said so. You've been studying – a lot – and you've got great instincts. So… tell me what you think and not what you know."

As much as she hated to admit it, staring into Sirius' grey, piercing eyes, there wasn't much she could do to refuse him. She nodded and said, "It's… a gut feeling." The two started walking again, her arm looped through his. "I can't say for sure something iswrong, but… Did you notice that she seems to get worn out immediately after performing magic?"

Sirius thought about this before answering. "No, I hadn't really noticed, but now that you mention it… Yeah, I can see that. But what does it mean?"

"I don't know. Honestly. But hey, you've already got me doing research into Dumbledore's theory about James. I'll look into that, too."

"Thanks."

They ambled on in silence for a time before Sirius spoke again. "Prongs' parents handled the whole werewolf thing pretty well, don't you think?"

Gillette snorted. "No joke. I expected them to freak."

"They're pretty good at keeping things hidden if they know it will upset him."

"So you think they're a lot more upset than they let on?"

"Big time. Prongs told me that, in the past, his Dad was against werewolf rights. I think that's one of the reasons he never told them about Moony, or being an animagus… You're handling it pretty well, too."

"Well, it's different for me. I grew up in a muggle home. My only experience with werewolves is campfire stories, horror movies, and then what we learned in Defense Against the Dark Arts. I know they're real, obviously, but I haven't had that fear and prejudice drilled into me that most kids coming from wizarding families have."

Sirius accepted and appreciated her thoughts. It made it easier for him to think that James would have a few friends if things turned out for the worse. "Let's go visit Moony. We usually spend all day with him after a full moon – except class, of course. He's probably bored out of his mind." Sirius didn't want to visit Moony just to visit him. He decided it would be better if Remus found out now, rather than later,that he had told Gillette about his "furry little problem" in hopes that, if Remus was going to get angry about it, the argument would be over and done withsooner.

"Yeah, okay," Gillette smiled. 

Gillette had had a crush on Sirius for as long as she could remember. Their relationship had changed a lot over the years, as their friendship deepened. She dated other guys, mostly to kill time and have some fun. She suspected, or maybe just hoped, that Sirius dated other girls for the same reason. What she couldn't figure out was why he didn't ask her out for anything more than a Hogsmeade rendezvous, and one of these days she was going to ask him. But right now, she was guiltily trying to suppress the happiness she felt, because this situation had strengthened their relationship even further. It was just a few more secrets that he had let her in on in his carefully constructed fortress. _Bad, Gillette! Bad_. She kept repeating to herself. Her friends, for she figured she could, indeed, call the Marauders friends, were going through something everyone in the wizarding world dreads, and she felt like a terrible person for selfishly finding joy in it – not pleasure in what had happened, but joy that it was serving to pull them all a little tighter. And when she thought about it, this really was a blessing, in that these types of things typically tear family and friends apart.

When they arrived at the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey met them and was originally going to turn them away, but she remembered that it was Gillette who had helped heal James and so figured she probably now knew about Remus. Instead of turning the girl away, she smiled and said, "You did well."

Beaming with pride at the praise, Gillette replied, "Thank you, ma'am."

"Is he awake?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, dear," Madam Pomfrey answered, before heading back toward her office.

Sirius took Gillette's hand as they walked toward Remus' bed. He was rather nervous about Remus' reaction and he drew comfort from Gillette being there. When they arrived outside his cubicle, Sirius held up a finger to Gillette, indicating she should wait, and then he passed through the curtain barrier.

"Hey Moony. How are you holding up?" Sirius asked.

Remus smiled at the sight of his friend, but then his eyes narrowed in suspicion from the look on Sirius' face. "Fine. What's going on?"

"We… need to talk. But first, there's someone here to visit you."

Remus spocked an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Sirius nodded and, without looking, reached his hand through the curtain barrier. Gillette took it immediately and he drew her through the curtain to stand beside him.

Remus looked in surprise from one face to the other. But then the pieces started to fall together. Gillette had been the one to heal James, it made sense that they would have had to tell her something… some part of the truth. He just hadn't thought about how much of it that would be.

Gillette watched as Remus began to frown, possibly wondering if he could trust her or what she now thought of him, so she did the first thing that came to mind: she stepped forward and gave Remus a hug.

With a shocked look on his face, Remus' first reaction was to pull away, but he had nowhere to go. He glanced at Sirius, who smiled at him. Then the thought occurred to him that Gillette knew what he was, and not only was not shying away, she was hugging him. With this, a wave of gratefulness came over him and he hugged her back. Only then did she pull away, and not unkindly.

"So, was today incredibly boring without us?" Sirius snarked.

"No, it was actually productive, for once. I even got a little ahead."

"Oo, we definitely can't leave you alone again." Sirius smile faded as he decided Remus better get all the information up front. "Listen, there's… a bit more."

"Lily," Remus stated, guessing that with James and Lily having had their first date, James would have to tell her something. He normally would have adamantly refused; after all, his secret had little to do with Lily. But in a way, he considered it penance for getting James into this spot in the first place.

"Yeah," Sirius confirmed.

"How did their date in Hogsmeade go?" Remus asked.

"Oh, they didn't go to Hogsmeade," Sirius began and Remus raised an eyebrow.

Gillette picked up the story. "Yeah, the Potters hung around until supper. We had a picnic by the lake and Mrs. Potter and Lily spent all afternoon talking."

Remus chuckled. "Really? That's great!" James had been wanting to date Lily since about second year. Lily spending so much time with his mother was a perfect way to start things off. It was a very positive sign that James would get the woman of his dreams – at least under normal circumstances. Remus wondered how his "condition" would affect their relationship. Would she take it the way Aden had? Worse? Better?

"So you're okay with James telling her?" Sirius asked, switching the subject back.

"Excuse me," Gillette said, dismissing herself and leaving the boys alone. She wanted to give them time to talk about this. Besides, she wanted to discuss a few things with Madam Pomfrey.

"I… don't know that we have a choice," Remus replied.

Sirius frowned. This was much too easy. It had taken Remus over a year to tell Aden, and they had been very close. James and Lily had been on one date – sort of – and Remus was okay with the secret getting out. No doubt they could spin some tale that left Remus out of things.

Sirius sat down next to Remus on his bed, forcing the teen to have to shift to make room for him. "Talk to me," Sirius said in a gentle command.

Remus glanced at Sirius, but then kept his eyes averted. "Well, this is my fault, isn't it? I mean…"

But before Remus could continue, Sirius cut him off. "It is not. Don't be stupid. You didn't call those werewolves onto the grounds. Nor did you make us confront them, resulting in Prongs being bitten."

"Nor?" Remus smirked.

Sirius elbowed him. "Anyway, my point is… It is not your fault." Sirius enunciated each word carefully, speaking slowly as he did.

"Yes, but if you guys weren't with me to begin with…" 

Again cutting him off, Sirius said, "It was our choice. It's been our choice all along. We knew from the beginning how dangerous it could be." Remus gave Sirius a skeptical look. "Okay, so maybe it was more 'in theory' than actual realization, but we still knew. And we made the choice anyway. Besides, James and I are the ones who convinced you to leave the shack in the first place… I just wish I knew what Dumbledore did with them."

"Yeah," Remus said contemplatively. "And thanks." Remus nudged Sirius' shoulder and smiled at him.

"Anytime," Sirius smiled back.

They sat and talked for another hour or so, Gillette rejoining them during that time, before Sirius and Gillette headed back to the Gryffindor common room. Normally Sirius would have headed to James' room,but he had no idea how long James would be with Lily and he didn't want to interrupt.

Back at the common room, Sirius found Peter working on some classwork with a few other students.

"Wormtail! Where did you scurry off to?" Sirius interrupted the studiers.

Peter jumped at the unexpected intrusion. "Oh. I told you. I came back to do some classwork."

"Did you go… calling on anyone?" Sirius wanted to know why Peter hadn't gone to see Remus, since he had left James and Sirius outside.

Peter blushed and answered, a bit flustered, "No! I d-didn't 'call on anyone'."

This was odd behavior, even for Peter, so Sirius glanced quickly around the table. He had noticed a fourth-year girl pop her head up at Sirius' question, and now she was watching intently. A grin spread over Sirius' face. "Oooh. Right. I just thought you might have some questions for Professor McGonagall." Sirius tried to cover for Peter, now realizing he was trying to win a girl's affections. Peter looked up at him, confused. "But no worries, Moony will be back tomorrow to help." As he said this, he tried to subtly nod in the direction of the girl, and then wink at Peter that he understood what was going on.

After a moment, Peter's face lit up with comprehension. "Right. Yes! Moony. Tomorrow."

Sirius snorted. "Later then," he said, and headed to the dorm.

The next day, the Marauders had the briefest of meetings in the hospital wing before deciding that they would bring Lily and Gillette to the Room of Requirement to break the news to Lily. Gillette was coming along for support. They wanted to use the Room because they figured it would give them the most privacy. 

At lunch time, James approached Lily and Gillette, sitting a little ways down the Gryffindor table from the guys. "Would you two lovely ladies be willing to accompany me…" he started very smoothly, but decided that since this was very serious business, he would rather be straightforward. "Um… we," he turned and gestured towards the other Marauders, Remus having just joined them, "would like you to come with us… so we can tell you what's going on." He directed his attention to Lily. 

Lily glanced at Gillette, who gave an encouraging smile. The two girls got up and followed James. Once they reached the place where the Marauders were sitting, the others rose to their feet and joined them. The walk to the Room was quiet and tense, and Lily and Gillette walked arm-in-arm, whispering occasionally.

James paced the three times before the Room and it opened. He took a deep breath before walking in.

The room was fairly large and directly in the middle was a chandelier overhanging what looked like a picnic table. If the sight was odd to any of them, no one commented. The two girls took a seat on one side of the table, with Sirius sitting next to Lily. He straddled the bench, rather than sitting fully at the table, wanting to be able to grab Lily if she decided to bolt or reach for her wand. It was also to be able to offer comfort if he needed to, but his first priority was to protect James and Remus. The other three Marauders sat opposite them, with James directly across from Lily.

James took Lily's hands in his and stared at her for a few minutes. This could well be the last time she let him this close and he didn't want to let the moment pass. Peter shifted nervously, breaking the spell, and James cleared his throat. "Where to begin," he said more to himself than to Lily.

"With me, I think," Remus said in his very logical voice. It was one of his more effective masks – at least to people who didn't know him – hiding his fear and tension with the stoicism of the best debaters. 

James, who was leaning on the table to close the gap between himself and Lily, looked over his shoulder at Remus. Remus gave him a slight nod. "Okay," James said, turning his attention back to Lily. "Moony… We… Back in second year…"

"Just say it, Prongs!" Sirius interrupted impatiently.

James glared at Sirius, but decided he was right. There was no easy way to break the news. "Moony is… a werewolf."

Lily didn't move. She didn't even blink. It was almost as if she was waiting for something.

"Lily?" James prodded gently.

Lily sat up a little straighter at being addressed. "Oh," she glanced at Remus. "That's it?" The others present stared at her in shock. "I've known that since third year," she said with a chuckle.

"What!" James asked. "How?"

"Well, come on… He always left at the full moon. And then Sirius came up with that ridiculous," glancing at Sirius, she amended with a smirk, "Uh - I mean clever nickname."

"And you didn't tell me?" Gillette asked sounding surprised and offended.

"It wasn't my secret to tell. I figured if he wanted everyone to know, he'd say something. I wasn't going to tell anyone."

"Oh," James frowned in confusion. That was definitely not the reaction he was expecting. He glanced again at Remus, who was smiling appreciatively.

"Thanks, Lily," Remus said quietly. And he was. Thankful that she had never treated him any differently because of it. Thankful that she had even become his friend when they became prefects together. And mostly, thankful that she hadn't told anyone, including Gillette.

Sirius was staring in wonder at Lily. "She's a keeper, Prongs."

Lily blushed at Sirius' comment, but said, "So was that it? I mean… What does that have to do with Friday night… other than it having been a full moon?"

The group around the table stilled and the somber mood from earlier returned. In the course of the excitement, Lily and James had released each others' hands, and James made no move to take them again. In fact, he hid his beneath the table.

Noting James' nerves, Sirius started the story for him. "When we found out that Remus was a werewolf, we decided," he gestured at James and Peter, "that we wanted to be able to keep him company." Sirius waited until Lily nodded understanding. He was half expecting her to interrupt with a question, but she remained silent. "We spent the better part of three years learning to become…" 

Sirius paused briefly, but Lily filled in the answer. In a quiet, awed voice, she said, "Animagi." She looked from Sirius, who had been talking, to James, who was looking at the table. She continued to watch him, even though Sirius started speaking again.

"I'm a dog. Wormtail is a rat. And Prongs is a stag. Prongs and I are both big enough to keep a werewolf in check. Guess we got kind of lucky on that one."

Remus interjected at this point. "Back… when my parents died…" Lily turned her attention to Remus. "They were killed by werewolves." Gillette gasped quietly. She had not been privy to the whole story before now. "I was… bitten by Fenrir Greyback. And he decided it was time for me to join him. Usually, he takes the kids right away, but my parents had been so adamant at the time I was first bitten that I would remain with them, that he left. I… can only guess he figured I was old enough to choose to come with him, but I wasn't home. I had requested to transform at the school that month. Transforming at home was…" Remus paused, remembering back to those days, and the pain and fear he felt transforming at home. "Well, it wasn't pleasant." Sirius snorted quietly at the understatement. Clearing his throat before continuing, Remus said, "They came for me again… Friday. I don't know if any of them were the same, though I don't think Fenrir was among them." 

Lily turned her attention back to James, who had yet to move or look up. She had a feeling she knew what was coming, but the thought was too horrible to contemplate, and she would wait for the words to make it real.

"Sirius and James… got in the way, not allowing me to go with them, and not letting them take me. You see… a werewolf is automatically drawn to other werewolves. They were trying to protect me – from myself. In the fight that followed…" Remus stopped again.

"Prongs was bitten," Sirius stated.

"He fought bravely," Peter added, trying to ease the news somewhat.

Tears slipped down Lily's cheeks and, after a moment, she became aware she had grasped Gillette's hand, though she didn't know when. She stood up abruptly and Sirius copied the motion. The suddenness of the motion made James look up and Lily saw a quiet desperation in his eyes. Turning to Sirius, she assured him, "I'm not leaving." As she freed herself from the bench, Sirius made no motion to stop her, but he did not sit back down, either; instead he also stepped clear of the bench, ready to move quickly if he had to. Lily walked around the table and put her hand on James' shoulder.

James was again filled with empathy for Remus and what he must have been feeling when he told Aden about his "furry little problem." James still had trouble not using the euphemism, even in his head. He wanted to draw comfort from the touch of Lily's hand, but it could just as easily be a gentle good-bye or, worse, a "let's be friends" gesture. At least he knew he could trust her not to tell anyone.

Remus slid out of the way, allowing Lily to sit down next to James. She sat with her back to the table so that she and James could still be face to face. 

Following Remus' lead, the others stole away from the table, leaving the two alone to discuss things. The room was large enough that the Marauders and Gillette could sit near the door and not hear what was going on. And sit they did, not wanting to abandon their friends, but wanting to give them privacy.

They sat for quite a while, each of them standing occasionally to stretch their legs and give their rump a rest. They started playing games, creating smoke shapes with their wands, hangman – using their wands to write the letters in mid-air, and just chatting. 

After what seemed like hours, James and Lily walked together from the table to the group. "Ready to go? I think it's about time for supper," James said. His tone was casual, though still laden with worry. Lily, for her part, smiled at him when he spoke, and then at the group. They all left the room together.

As they walked to the Great Hall, Lily said in a playful tone, "So… since we're part of your little secret group, and we know your secrets, do we get to call you by your nicknames?" 

Brushing aside Lily's question, Sirius said, "Oh, speaking of secret groups... Did you… you know?"

"No," James answered. "I want to speak with Dumbledore first." Sirius nodded.

"What? Did you what?" Lily asked curiously.

"Nu-uh. Don't think you can learn all of James Potter's secrets in one day, lil missy," James joked, but it was enough to let Lily know not to push things.

Continuing their walk, the girls migrated ahead of the guys and, by their hand gestures, they were speaking animatedly about something – probably what had just occurred.

Taking the opportunity of their separation, Sirius asked, "So? What's going on?"

James watched the girls in front of them as he spoke. "Well… we're dating."

Sirius let out a quiet whoop, which was still loud enough to carry to the girls and cause them to pause in their conversation to look back at them, before continuing on again.

James smiled slightly, though Sirius felt he should have been much happier than he seemed to be. "She said until we know for sure what's going to happen, we might as well act… normal."

Sirius frowned. "And what if you do… you are… you know. What if you have to start shaving?"

James elbowed Sirius half-heartedly at their inside joke, though Remus whacked Sirius on the back of the head. Sirius had once complained that it was unfair Remus was the only one who could grow facial hair. "I don't know. But she didn't say she'd up and leave, just that she'd need to give it more thought."

"How can she say that?" Sirius asked indignantly.

"Padfoot," Remus broke into the conversation. "It's not like she was planning on marrying Prongs to begin with. Besides, until you're faced with the reality of living with the situation, it's hard to honestly know what you're going to do. I think Lily is wise to not have automatically said everything was going to be fine and she could guarantee she wouldn't leave. It shows a lot of respect for Prongs and it gives her plenty of time to seriously consider what she's going to do."

Sirius sighed. He knew Remus was right, but he wanted guarantees. He wanted to know James was going to be fine. He wanted to know that even if he wasn't, the girl of his dreams would stick with him through it. As much as he loved the full moon for the adventures they had, he was anxious for the next one for a completely different reason this time. At least then, they'd _know_.

- - - - -

A/N - First I'd like to explain something because I've gotten a few comments. My original intent with the story was to keep it going after the boys left school - to carry it to November 1st or 2nd of '81. As such, I bring up issues that weren't going to be resolved until after school. I, unfortunately, have had some writer's block and some distraction regarding the last installment of the story - the years from when the boys leave school until 1981. So as of now, those issues remain unresolved. Will I get to it? Hopefully. Truly hopefully! 

Okay – Opinion question for y'all. On another site, due to the… relationship between Sirius and his mum (a.k.a. the child-abuse issue) I was told the story had to be rated mature. I'm wondering if y'all think it would be okay to lower the rating from mature to teen.

Thanks also for all the wonderful reviews and encouragement. Welcome newcomers! Thanks for sticking with me you old-timers. Hee hee. Thank you all. And thanks to my ever-present and wonderful betas – Mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 90

By the second week of November, James was already having one of the worst months of his Hogwarts career – the only period of time he considered as bad, though for vastly different reasons, was "The Snape Incident." In addition to being Head Boy and Quidditch captain, he was now part of a small group of students who had made it their personal mission to watch over the other students of the school, trying to make sure none of them were attacked by the small group of Death Eaters and wanna-be's. They also did what they could to gather intel on the group, which, unfortunately, wasn't much. After receiving more and more reports of students being hit with dark magic, most of which came from Gillette since she and Madam Pomfrey were the ones tending to the resultant injuries, he and Lily emphatically requested that the other prefects help them crack down on the use of dark magic.

The four newest, and youngest, Order members, as well as Lily and Gillette, met once a week to discuss what was going on at the school. It was just four days before the next full moon and a week and a half before the first quidditch match of the year, and it was the night of one of their meetings. James was late, though considering he had quidditch practice this wasn't too big of a concern, but after only five minutes Sirius got up and left to find James. It was just two minutes later that the two could be heard arguing in the corridor outside Lily's quarters, though their words could not be discerned.

When her door opened, Sirius was saying, "But Prongs it's little more than a week away."

"I know!" James said through gritted teeth. He looked at those in the room and nodded greetings to everyone. "Sorry for being late."

"What's going on?" Lily asked suspiciously. "What's a week away?"

James sighed and his shoulders sagged under some invisible weight. "I stepped down as captain."

There were a few seconds of stunned silence before Lily practically yelled, "What?!" She immediately covered her mouth, surprised that she had said anything out loud. "Sorry," she apologized.

"I can't… I just can't handle all of this," James said with a glance at Remus, who looked back with understanding clearly written on his face.

"Is this about the werewolf thing?" Sirius asked quietly, but in frustration. They'd been over this a thousand times in the past three weeks. Being a werewolf didn't matter to any of them and would not affect any of his duties. Why James couldn't understand that, he didn't understand.

"No… maybe, in part… but no. I didn't quit the team, I'm still on it, it's just… not my responsibility any more; it's Stacey's."

"It's okay, James," Lily reassured him.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Remus asked.

"No it's not what I want!" James' fingers trailed through his hair, making it stand on end. "It's… I don't know. There's just a lot going on."

Sirius knew that, ever since "The Snivellus Incident" James had donned a new cloak of responsibility. It was like that one event showed him that his actions could and did significantly affect others. Becoming a prefect only served to hammer that belief into him. As Head Boy, and part of the Order, he now felt responsible for the entire student body. Sirius had full confidence that James would comfortably grow into this new cloak, but at this point, it was still something he was getting used to. Maybe giving up responsibility for the team was for the best. But James had to learn he didn't need to carry his weight alone.

"Prongs," Sirius called for James' attention. James looked at him, expecting more of the lecture Sirius had started to give him in the hall. "You're not alone," Sirius said simply.

James regarded his friend. Once again Sirius had been able to read him thoroughly, and it comforted James more deeply than he could have expressed to know he really wasn't alone and he had friends that stood by him through everything. "I know," he said, and offered a half-smile.

Finally, James sat down on a chair and Lily took her place on the floor in front of him. It was easier for her to take notes on the coffee table in front of her if she was sitting on the floor, plus it gave her the benefit of being able to sit close to James, who she'd truly come to admire and respect over the last several weeks. She watched as he struggled with everything going on, not the least of which being the fear of the up-coming full moon. Though his temper had been a bit short of late, it served him well. He came across as being very serious about the rules he was asking the prefects to enforce and they respected him. It allowed her to take on the more motherly qualities needed to serve the students and the two, together, became something like the den-parents for the prefects and Gryffindors alike.

Sirius, Gillette and Remus shared the couch. Gillette had become increasingly close to all four Marauders, but Remus in particular. She, Remus and Madam Pomfrey had agreed that Gillette would begin taking over care of Remus when he returned from the shack, with Madam Pomfrey acting only as guide. Remus trusted Gillette and Madam Pomfrey, so he was confident nothing would go amiss. Madam Pomfrey wanted to make sure that Remus had someone away from Hogwarts that he trusted and was properly able to care for him when he left school. And Gillette was thrilled for the experience and a chance to help a good friend. Plus, if James was going to turn, they would likely need more than one healer so that the two teens could be attended to at the same time.

Gillette usually started the meeting with the list of students who were attacked with dark magic in particular, but other unusual magic as well – injuries that were not accidents or class related. This not only served to keep them informed, but reminded them of why they were doing what they were doing – why they were sacrificing studying time and socializing time to discuss increasingly frustrating matters. It also made them aware of new spells being used – knowing Snivellus' affinity for creating his own spells. This was their best clue that Snape really was involved with the Death Eater group, though they still couldn't prove it.

Peter had gotten in the habit of sitting on the floor from their evenings before the Gryffindor fire, and now it was where he was most comfortable. He would share any new intel for the week, which often wasn't much. The others would add their own information or confirm what Peter had learned, but he was usually first. So as soon as Gillette finished, Peter cleared his throat. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I've heard a new rumor." Peter hesitated for just a moment, knowing that his news was likely going to cause an uproar. "It seems that two people have been singled out to be used as an example of those who stand against the Death Eaters and, by extension, V… V… He-who-must-not-be-named." Peter paused again.

"Well!" Sirius prodded impatiently.

Peter cleared his throat again. Speaking quickly so as to get it out faster, he hurriedly said, "Lily and James."

"What?!" came the outcry from James and Sirius, who had both jumped to their feet. Lily had dropped her quill and was looking at Peter open-mouthed. Remus sat in quiet contemplation. And Gillette sat in stunned silence, not knowing how to react.

"James has been labeled a blood-traitor and Lily… well… she's muggle-born, isn't she? Being the Head Boy and Girl, and cracking down on dark magic, would set you up as ideal targets," Remus said thoughtfully.

"Plus there's added tension because they're a couple now," Peter added.

"Why does that matter?" James asked hotly.

"A pure-blood dating a muggle-born, Prongs? That's what this war is about," Sirius reasoned.

James sat down again, holding his head in his hands while his elbows rested on his knees.

"Prongs, you've got nothing to worry about," Sirius said confidently. Now that the initial shock had worn off, he wasn't really all that worried. "You're the best dueler in the school, next to yours truly, of course," Sirius added with a smirk. "They can't touch you. And we have the invisibility cloak. We can make sure that neither of you are alone. Just make sure you're not patrolling on the same night."

"Padfoot is right, Prongs," Remus said. "And, if they are stupid enough to come at you, we have a better chance of catching who's behind this."

James looked from Sirius, who had resumed sitting next to Gillette, to Remus. "I don't like it. I… I don't mind being bait. That's fine. But…" he glanced at the back of Lily's head trying to convey his concern to his friends.

"You better not be looking at me, James Potter!" Lily warned without turning to look. Gillette giggled. "Just because I'm a girl…"

"It has nothing to do with you being a girl!" James countered before she could finish her argument. "It has everything to do with my wanting to keep you safe."

Lily did turn around at this, and rested her arm on James' leg. "That's very sweet, Prongs, but I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. Besides," she rushed on before James could interrupt with an argument, "you heard Sirius and Remus. I won't ever be alone. I also don't think it's likely that they'll actually try to kill us while we're at school and I can handle a hex or two."

James stared deeply into Lily's emerald-green, and very determined, eyes. Relenting, he sighed, "Fine. I don't see that we have a choice anyway."

"I think," Remus said slowly, "that we should brush up on our magic – maybe teach the girls a few things we've learned over the years." Remus held up his hand, seeing the argument coming from Lily. "And you can teach us a thing or two, I'm sure. I've seen you charm Prongs."

Lily smiled and blushed at the compliment, then said, "Do you think we should tell Dumbledore?"

"Nah," Sirius waved his hand dismissively. "He's got enough to worry about already."

"And we still don't have concrete evidence of who is behind this?" Remus asked, his attention mainly focused on Peter.

Peter nodded. "Slytherins… That's all I know."

"All right," James sighed again. He was feeling very worn out and he couldn't help but wonder if it was just stress or a sign of his body reacting to the full moon. "We need to set up a schedule to ensure Lily…"

"And you," Lily interjected.

"And I, are not alone," James finished. They spent the better part of an hour piecing together a schedule for the two of them. Remus thought it was a very bad idea for either of them to chaperone the other, because he thought it might add temptation to attack if the two were alone together.

When they were finished for the evening, Peter asked hopefully, "Tomorrow is a Hogsmeade visit. Is everyone going? We didn't get to go to the last one."

"No, I've got…" Remus began, but was cut off by James.

"Yes! I think we should all go. Goodness knows I could do with a bit of fun," he mumbled the last part to himself, but felt Lily squeeze his knee.

And fun they had. They seized the day, making the most of the opportunity to laugh and have fun. They were seventeen and of age and had, somewhat remarkably, waited this long to try firewhiskey. The boys had agreed they would all try it together and, since this was their first Hogsmeade visit of the year, last month's visit having been "cancelled," this was the first opportunity they had to try some. They agreed that, with all that was going on, needing to keep their wits about them, and the fact that Lily and James were Head Girl and Boy, they would not get drunk. One round. As it turned out, one round was plenty for their first time, and they made sure to stay at The Three Broomsticks until the effects wore off.

Madam Rosmerta was thrilled. She had wondered if she'd ever again see her favorite duo – James and Sirius; especially since, half-way through the year last year, Sirius had been banned from coming during regular visits. This did not stop him from dropping by on occasion, but those visits were brief because he was usually coming to pick up an order of butterbeer and be off again.

Aside from The Three Broomsticks, the Marauders also visited Zonkos to pick up supplies, and Honeydukes to replenish their stocks of food. And the girls picked up a few new books and quills. But the majority of their time was spent wandering and talking and laughing. By the time they returned to the castle, it was getting dark and cold, but they were ready to return, their excursion having done its job of siphoning off some of the tension that had been building.

Sirius glanced up at the sky. He couldn't help it. It had become habit after years of wanting the full moon to come. But tonight, the nearly full moon made his stomach wriggle with worry. He noticed that James determinedly kept his eyes ahead or on the ground, and knew that he was also thinking about what was coming, just a few days away now.

A/N - Hey, thanks to all for the input about the maturity level. I think, just to be on the safe side, I'll keep it where it is. Who knows what will come in the future that might require an upping of the rating. Thank you all. Thanks also for your kind words and encouragement. And thank you to my wonderful betas - mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton. Love.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 91

It was the night of the full moon and James was running late. He hurried to the Shrieking Shack, hoping he would make it there on time. He berated himself for being so stupid as to be late, on this night of all nights. How could he have lost track of the time?

He had just made it into the shack and closed the door when an odd sensation overtook him. His senses seemed to sharpen and focus. Then a burning feeling crept through his body. He must have passed out though, because the next thing he knew, he was getting up from the floor. He looked around and sniffed the air, and was surprised to find the shack empty. Had the others already left without him? The thought ran briefly through his head that it was incredibly stupid of them to meander the grounds with two werewolves and only one dog big enough to handle a single werewolf. But, pushing the thought aside, James sniffed around the room. When he reached the door leading to the tunnel, he saw that it was ajar. Following the scents of his friends, he traversed the tunnel and exited on the Hogwarts grounds.

He heard a howl in the distance and raised his head to listen carefully, trying to discern its direction. As he listened, another scent wafted across his delicate nose and he began to track it. Soon, the nervousness of not knowing where his friends were, melted in the excitement of the hunt. Before he knew it, the smell had taken him into the lights of the castle itself. Cautiously, he approached the entrance of the castle and stole inside. Once inside, it didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. The owner of that intoxicating scent was just down the corridor. He crept along slowly at first, then began running. He was just ten feet from his quarry when the girl in front of him finally noticed his presence. She spun on the spot, her red hair appearing to burn in the reflection of the torch lights. As she let out a scream, James leapt through the air, perfectly on target.

James sat up in bed with a start, panting, and sweat pouring down his face and back. _Nightmare! Just a nightmare. _He threw back his blankets and walked to the bathroom. He rinsed his face and hair in the sink, then stood, leaning over the basin, still trying to calm his breathing. He studied his reflection in the mirror, even going so far as to check his teeth for any signs of wolfishness. Not seeing anything, though knowing he wouldn't anyway, he turned his back to the mirror, but continued to lean on the sink.

He recalled when Remus' occasional nightmares left him weak and shaking. A few of them had even sent him darting to the bathroom, and James now understood why. Knowing he wouldn't get back to sleep for a while, James occupied himself by taking a shower. Part of him hoped to be able to wash away the visions that danced before him every time he closed his eyes.

The shower having done little to calm him, James broke the recently established cardinal rule never to go anywhere alone, and headed straight to Gryffindor Tower, needing to find calm. The common room was long since abandoned, given the time, but James found himself traveling as quietly as possible anyway. He stole up the stairs to the seventh-year dorm and over to Sirius' bed. Leaning in so he could whisper as quietly as possible and not wake the others, he said, "Pads." Sirius sat up immediately, almost knocking heads with James in the process.

"Blimey! Don't do that!" Sirius reprimanded in a hushed whisper. Without another word, Sirius stood up and, grabbing a tee-shirt, followed James out of the room.

The two teens took their places on the couch by the fire. To a casual observer, they looked as if they were lounging, not there for any particular reason, and neither having a care in the world.

After a few minutes of silence, Sirius asked, "Nightmare?"

James nodded and blushed. He felt very childish for being driven to wake up his best friend because of a stupid dream. "How'd you know?"

"You took a shower."

"What?"

"…And you woke me up at… What time is it anyway? No. Never mind. I don't really want to know." As if to accentuate his point, Sirius yawned widely.

James remained quiet, and a moment later Sirius pressed on. "Is this about tonight?" James nodded. "You know, not that I don't love being awakened at goodness-knows what time in the morning but, truly, you might be better off talking to Moony."

"I can't talk to Moony."

Sirius frowned. "Why not? He knows better than any of us what you're going through."

"How can I tell him that I'm terrified of what I might become tonight?"

"You're afraid it's going to sound like you actually care that he is a werewolf. That you're going to sound like a hypocrite."

"Yeah. I mean… it's like saying, I'm going to start using dark magic. Yeah, I know, all these years I've preached against it, and I think that anyone else who uses it is evil, but it's okay for me. Except… you know. Not."

Sirius chuckled slightly. "That's really not the same thing at all." Sirius held up his hand to stem James' protest. "I know what you're saying. I get it. I do. I'm just saying your example was a bad one – dark magic is about choice, this isn't. And believe me, Moony is going to understand." When James didn't respond, Sirius continued to sit with him. He knew James would come around eventually and ask him to get Remus. Until then, he'd keep him company and do what he could to assuage his fears.

"So what was the dream about?" Sirius asked casually.

Staring into the dying embers of the fire, James answered, "I dreamt I turned. Got out – alone. You weren't around. And then, I attacked… Lily." James twitched slightly as if he'd seen it play out again in his mind and he was trying to recoil from the images.

"Bugger," Sirius said, not knowing what else he could say. "You know… This might all be for nothing," Sirius reminded James hopefully. Once again, James only nodded. After another few moments of silence, Sirius asked, "Are you sure you don't want me to…"

"Yeah, okay," James relented, knowing Sirius was going to offer to get Remus.

"I'll be right back."

Sirius was so sincere in his assurance that James almost laughed, once again feeling like a foolish five-year-old afraid of being left alone in the dark. But he was too grateful to laugh. Instead, he continued to stare into the fire as he listened to Sirius' retreating footsteps.

Sirius moved stealthily through the room and over to Remus' bed. "Moony," Sirius prodded Remus in the chest. Remus groaned and rolled over. "Moony!" Sirius whispered insistently, at the same time pushing down on Remus' back so the teen bounced in his bed.

Remus opened one eye and glared at Sirius. "This had better be good. Do remember I can kill you in your sleep," he growled.

"It's Prongs."

The statement took less than a second to register with Remus before he was struggling to get out of bed, his body not quite as awake as his head. Sirius tried not to laugh as he watched Remus disentangle himself from his sheets and bed hangings, which seemed intent on keeping him where he was. But finally, with a grunt of frustration, Remus was free and the two teens headed to the common room.

"Hey," Remus greeted James.

James nodded and gave Sirius, who was grinning, a curious look.

"The man's a genius, but can be overcome by his own bed," Sirius explained, still trying not to laugh.

"Shut up," Remus mumbled, followed by, "Twink."

Immediately a house elf appeared before the boys. Remus had been the only one who had bothered to learn any of their names, and James and Sirius now understood why it had been a good idea.

"Coffee please," Remus requested kindly.

"Would sirs be requesting anything else?" Twink asked, bowing to James and Sirius.

"Now that you mention it," Sirius began, but at a stern look from Remus, he muttered, "No, thank you."

Twink bowed one more time before disappearing. She returned moments later with a pot of coffee, cups, and cream and sugar on a large tray. Additionally, there was a small plate of shortbread and an assortment of jams.

"Thank you, Twink," Sirius said beaming. As Twink disappeared again, Sirius commented, "Wormtail doesn't know what he's missing."

Remus sighed in exasperation. He was already irritated due to the full moon and Sirius had a way of grating on his nerves during this time. It was going to be a long day and the sun hadn't even risen yet.

"So… I assume we're not just having a midnight party," Remus kicked off the conversation. He had a feeling he knew what was coming, but wanted to allow James to get to it in his own time.

Sirius grabbed some of the shortbread and excused himself, having told Remus and James to get him when they were done.

James wasn't sure where to begin, so he started with the nightmare.

Remus listened to the brief recap, feeling a pang of sympathy, and the ever-present niggling of guilt. When James was done, he said, "I've had those. Not Lily, mind you, but… I used to dream about attacking my parents. Once they died, the nightmares actually stopped for a while." Remus smiled sadly. "But then they started again with Aden. Occasionally, one of you – you, Padfoot or Wormtail," Remus clarified, "would feature, but… A lot of that died down of late."

"Not according to Pads," James said.

Remus was surprised that Sirius had noticed, and a little embarrassed that he had talked about it with James. "He needs to learn to keep his mouth shut, but yes. This last month they started up again. Probably because of what happened."

James nodded understanding. "Do you remember it?"

Remus frowned. "Almost all of it now – with vivid clarity."

"I'm sorry," James whispered.

Remus laughed sardonically. "You're sorry?! I should be the one apologizing to you – again. You… saved me back there. If you guys hadn't stepped in, who knows what would have happened."

"I'm sorry because I know that was one of your worst fears – aside from attacking someone yourself. And if it hadn't been for us, you would have been safely tucked away in the shack. They wouldn't have been able to get to you and you wouldn't have been able to leave with them."

"We could argue all night about whose fault it was or who's more sorry for what happened. Look, I really am sorry about what happened, but…" he kept talking to prevent James from cutting in. "These last couple of years… I wouldn't trade them for anything. You guys have helped me more than you could possibly know. I've not had a serious injury in years, even over the summer holiday. I remember things. I'm in my right mind, most of the time. The only thing you could possibly have done that would have been better is find a cure. I'm just sorry it came at such a high cost."

"I wouldn't change what happened, you know," James said. "Well… maybe. I wouldn't have gotten distracted. But I'd still stand between you and them."

Remus breathed heavily, "I know."

"Do you think I'm a hypocrite?"

Remus chuckled. "What? Why?"

James looked shamefully away from Remus. "Because I don't want to become a werewolf."

"No! Geez! Prongs. I wouldn't wish this… this curse… on my worst enemy. And I'm being serious. Honestly. I wouldn't expect you to be okay with this. I'm not okay with this. But I know that… I know how you guys feel about me."

James smiled. "You know, Pads would tell us we're being girly right now."

Remus chuckled. "He'd probably have some comment about it being 'that time of month' or something."

James laughed at this. "Yeah." The smile slowly faded from James' face. "So… what's it like? I mean, you've told us before… but really. What can I expect?"

Remus sighed. He took a few minutes to gather his thoughts. He knew what James wanted, he'd just never confided in anyone about the details of what it was like.

The two teens sat up talking until the morning sun shown through the windows of the tower and the first students made their way to breakfast.

"I'm going to grab a shower. I'll wake the others and we can head to breakfast," Remus suggested.

James nodded and closed his eyes, his head leaning against the back of the couch. He wasn't really sure if the conversation he'd just had eased his worry or made him more nervous. He felt better knowing that Sirius had been right; Remus had understood how he felt, and had even confided in him that, for a brief moment, he had felt relief at the possibility that he would have another werewolf around, but that he had quickly banished the thought, knowing what a terrible curse this was and James didn't deserve something like that just so he could have company. James then asked if Remus had ever considered turning someone for that very reason – companionship. Remus didn't even have to think about his answer – absolutely not – and he reiterated that he wouldn't wish lycanthropy on his worst enemy.

For the rest of the day, time seemed to move erratically for James. Classes and meal times flew, bringing the terrors of the evening zooming toward him much too fast. But when he found himself with nothing to do, time dragged, prolonging the inevitable, and the knowledge that he would know, one way or another, what was going to happen. He had received a letter from his parents, trying to encourage and comfort him. Sirius was in top form, trying to keep the mood light, and bring levity to the situation. Lily stood stalwart by his side. He caught Remus watching him in a way that made him think he was keeping an eye on him for telltale signs of his lycanthropy, though, lack of sleep the night before and his lack of appetite from nerves covered the most obvious indicators – weariness, irritability and upset stomach. Peter was especially jumpy, but this didn't surprise James in the least. And Gillette seemed to be spending an inordinate amount of time at the library, but James wasn't sure if that was because of him or because of something else. He had caught her and Sirius whispering on occasion over the last month, but Sirius had assured James it had nothing to do with his "furry little problem" – if he even had one, which Sirius was always quick to point out. Sometimes James worried what Sirius would do or think if he was a werewolf, but he reminded himself that Sirius didn't have a problem with Remus, so why would this affect him any differently.

The time finally arrived for James and Remus to head to the shack; Peter and Sirius would join them later. Madam Pomfrey took the opportunity to join the boys – something she hadn't done in quite a while, escorting them to the shack, and offering words of comfort and reassurance to both.

When she left, Remus rolled his eyes and smiled. "She gets a little motherly," he said simply.

It had been agreed that Remus would transform upstairs. That way, if James didn't transform, he'd have that much longer to be able to get into his animagus form before being confronted by a full-fledged werewolf. The two bid each other an awkward "see you later" and Remus headed up to the second story of the shack. James paced and watched the light recede from the room. He had stripped down and magiced his clothes to his dorm in preparation, and this only served to enhance his discomfort. Through a gap in the wood slats that covered the windows, he watched the last rays of the sun disappear behind the horizon. Turning his attention back to the interior of the shack, he listened carefully. In the darkness, James' concentration on his surroundings was heightened and his senses sharpened. He wondered if this was the preliminary feeling that Remus experienced when transforming. He seemed to be able to hear everything – from the creaks in the floorboard above, to what he was sure was a mouse or other small rodent scurrying across the floor. But then he heard a commotion above, a thump, and a howl. He barely had time to register that Remus had transformed – and he hadn't – before the werewolf was barreling down the stairs, intent on catching his ever elusive human prey. James changed into the stag without further hesitation and he caught sight of the wolf dive over the railing from halfway up the stairs. He landed in the hall outside the room in which James currently occupied, and skidded to a halt, stopping just inside the doorway. James watched as Remus sniffed the air and looked around in a confused sort of way, before locking eyes with James. If James were human, he would have laughed, because Remus let out an entirely puppy-like bark and, wagging his tail, sauntered up to James and greeted him, obviously happy for the company despite the loss of his quarry.

The two kept each other occupied until Sirius and Peter showed up. As soon as Sirius saw James, he started darting around the room doing odd leaps off the furniture and walls, twisting and turning in midair in a doggy dance of joy. This frolicking included a few happy nips at James and some roughhousing with Remus. He even grabbed Peter and tossed him up in the air, much to the squealing Peter's dismay. But each time he caught him gently, either in his teeth or with his paws.

Though they stayed in the shack that night, they each agreed later that it was one of their better nights. Relief washed over all of them as they dodged another crises and James' charmed life remained so.

A/N – You know, I've been posting for how long now and I just realized that a series of dashes doesn't work to separate things. Um... Until I find something that does work, I apologize for odd, abrupt transitions (like the one between the dream and James waking - hopefully that wasn't too confusing). Thanks again for all the very kind reviews. Thank you also to my lovely betas – mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton.

None – I wanted to thank you for the input with the rating issue. Thank you.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer - Same as always.

Chapter 92

The morning after the full moon, as James watched Remus transform back into human form, he had never felt so sorry for him and so relieved at the same time. He almost felt as if he'd been given a second chance at life, though he would never voice that to anyone, save maybe Sirius.

Once the transformation was complete, the other teens could return to their human forms as well. Sirius, who had magically enlarged his pockets several years ago, pulled out a pair of clothes for James and a blanket for Remus. They then simply had to wait for Madam Pomfrey and Gillette to arrive.

When they did, Gillette saw Sirius first as she came through the door. He smiled reassuringly at her. She returned his smile and then looked around for James. Seeing him fully clothed and looking no worse for wear, she practically skipped over to him and hugged him. "Thank goodness," she whispered in his ear.

Madam Pomfrey cleared her throat to return Gillette's attention to the person who actually needed it. She wasn't angry, under the circumstances, but she wanted to have Remus examined as soon as possible. Once Gillette was busy doing a cursory exam of him, Madam Pomfrey went over to James. Smiling, she stated, "It would appear you did not transform last night."

"No ma'am," James said, smiling back at her, relief evident in his voice.

Madam Pomfrey checked James' vitals before being satisfied that all was normal and well. She was just finishing up as Gillette did and announced it was time for them to return to the castle. Once they were in the Entrance Hall, Madam Pomfrey suggested they all go to breakfast, since it was a regular school day, and she would take over Remus' care from there.

Once they were back in the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey did an exam of her own. Remus was awake for this one. He rarely passed out completely anymore after a transformation, though he tended to still be too weak to walk far. "How are you, dear?" she asked.

"I'm good." This was Remus' standard response, no matter how badly he'd been injured the night before.

"Mm-hmm," Madam Pomfrey intoned. "What do you remember?"

"I think pretty much everything."

"Then you know James didn't transform."

"Yes, thank goodness," Remus sighed in relief.

"Does it bother you?" she asked, while examining various potion bottles, as if deciding which one to give him.

"What? That James didn't transform?" Madam Pomfrey nodded. "No! Goodness no."

Madam Pomfrey looked long and hard at Remus. "You're a good boy, Remus."

Remus snorted lightly, smiling at the compliment. "Why? Because I don't want one of my best friends to be cursed for life?"

Looking very seriously back at him, Madam Pomfrey answered, "Because you haven't let loneliness and envy get the better of you."

Remus frowned slightly. "I wouldn't wish this on anyone."

"I know child. That's one of the things that makes you so remarkable," she said earnestly. "Just one of many," she added with a smile, her statement causing Remus to blush and duck his head this time. Madam Pomfrey studied his face again, her brows furrowing. "I just worry about you."

Taking the older witch's hands in his, Remus reassured her, "I'm fine. Really."

"I know dear," Madam Pomfrey used a gentle finger to push some stray hair out of his eyes, then cupped his cheek with her hand. The gesture reminded Remus very much of his mother. She looked like she had more to say, but instead, she sighed and carried the tray of potions back to the storage room. "You're getting stronger," she said as she did this. "It won't be long before you're conscious for both transformations."

"Won't that be a joy," Remus said sarcastically to himself.

Coming back into the room, Madam Pomfrey asked, "What was that, dear?"

"Uh, nothing. But… what does that mean? Is it a good thing?"

The bustling witch stopped short and cocked her head to the side, considering his question. "I don't really know if it means anything. It was more an observation."

Remus yawned, his mouth opening widely. He sagged slightly from his usual straight-backed posture.

"You need rest," Madam Pomfrey declared. "Come on," she said, leading him with a supportive arm to a bed near the back of the room. She set up the curtains as usual to give him privacy. "Good night, dear."

Remus nodded in response, another yawn temporarily stealing his ability to respond. At least he had an excuse to sleep all day, unlike his friends who would have to endure classes on no sleep, as well as experiencing a down from the earlier adrenaline rush. He smiled to himself. One had to look for the silver lining somewhere, no matter how small it was.

OOooOO

Lily was having a hard time eating breakfast. Her mind kept wandering to the Marauders – to James – and what news they would bring. She was staring at her eggs when Patty said, "Since when did Gillette become the stand-in for Remus?" Lily's head popped up and turned toward the entrance of the hall so fast, she got a crick in her neck. Catching sight of her four friends, she stood abruptly, nearly toppling over the back of the bench.

It was her standing, so ungracefully, that enabled James to hone in on Lily's position. He smiled brightly at her and shook his head slightly to indicate he hadn't transformed.

Lily clambered over the bench and ran the rest of the distance to James, throwing her arms around his neck. He lifted her in the air, spinning her around once, before leaning in for a kiss.

Though no one in the school knew the real reason for the celebration, a public kiss never went unnoticed and immediately whoops and shouts filled the hall. The couple broke apart, smiling and blushing, but joyously happy.

James glanced up at the head table and received a wink and a nod from Dumbledore. Professor McGonagall, seated next to the headmaster, was also smiling more brightly than James could ever remember her smiling before – not that he could clearly remember seeing her smile before.

Not everyone smiled, however, and the public display of affection reminded those few that they had a job to do – an example that needed to be made of the mudblood and blood-traitor.

OOooOO

Despite the weight of this past month's worries being lifted from James' shoulders, he did not try, nor did he want, to regain his role as captain. He was perfectly content to be just another member of the team. But when Saturday rolled around, Stacey looked worse than James had ever seen her, and he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her. He offered to stand by her as unofficial co-captain, going so far as to give the obligatory rallying-speech before the start of the game, but he let Stacey come up with the game plan and call the shots.

Being the first game of the year, the teams were Gryffindor and Slytherin. Gryffindor had extra pressure this year. Not only were they out for the Quidditch Cup, but if they continued to win until the end of the year, they would become the team that won the Quidditch Cup the most times successively in years thus earning them a plaque, which would be placed in the Trophy Hall. The Gryffindor/Slytherin games were always tense, but this time Gryffindor was after a title, and Slytherin – they were out for blood. Unfortunately for James, the Slytherin team consisted mostly of Voldemort sympathizers, including an Avery, a Nott, a Bulstrode, a Lestrange, and a Black – and they had an objective.

The game was very physical and, when it became clear that the Slytherins couldn't get to James through the team defenses, they decided to eliminate those defenses first. Avery flew at Gudgeon in an apparent battle over the bludger. However, Avery's aim was so wild that he hit Gudgeon with his bat rather than the bludger. Gudgeon was already off balance from trying to avoid a mid-air collision, so the hit from the bat did its job, knocking him off his broom. A penalty shot was awarded to Gryffindor, but Gudgeon was out of the game.

A pass from Bulstrode to Lestrange was "blocked" by Timms, or more accurately, by her head. She also was knocked from her broom, taking both Gryffindor beaters out of the game. A second penalty shot was awarded to Gryffindor and, in the pause of game-play activity, James studied the field. He quickly became aware that both beaters were out of the game, and that scoring had been unusually high for the Gryffindor team. It almost seemed as if the Slytherins weren't concentrating on winning, but on taking out Gryffindor players. James frowned at the thought and wondered what the best strategy was for dealing with this. He glanced at Anna, their young seeker and newest member of the team. She was scanning the field intently. _Good girl_, James thought. Not even the penalties seemed to be dissuading her search for the snitch.

All too quickly, the game was back in full swing. James decided he would use himself as a target. It was the best way to keep his team safe. He began flying near various members of the opposing team, calling out whatever taunts and insults came to mind. He hoped if he could anger them, he would draw their attention, not realizing he already had it.

The other three Marauders, joined by Lily and Gillette, watched the game intently from the stands. It was when the second beater was taken out of action that Remus leaned toward Sirius, "Does this seem odd to you?"

"Slytherin's always tried to win with brawn and bullying – 'by any means' is their motto," Sirius replied, though he was frowning.

"Yeah, but… this is excessive," Remus said, quietly enough not to be overheard, but loud enough for Sirius to hear him over the yelling of the crowd.

"Deliberate," Sirius added, and Remus nodded. "Good thing Prongs is the best flyer this school's seen in years," Sirius said with forced bravado, but he was watching much more closely now.

"What is James doing?" Lily, who was sitting in front of the Marauders, leaned back so she was between Sirius and Remus.

"Oh no," Remus groaned.

"By the look on Nott's face, I'd say he's pissing off the other team."

"Has he forgotten he's a target?" Lily asked concernedly.

Sirius shook his head. "Stupid git. If he thinks his team's in danger, he'll put himself in the line of fire."

Remus suddenly started pushing Sirius. "Go. Go! This isn't going to end well."

Peter watched Remus, Sirius and Lily start moving toward the end of the stands. He glanced at Gillette, who shrugged back, also not having heard the conversation, and the two followed the others. They all found a place to stand, as close to the field as they could get without actually entering the pitch. All five were staring up at the sky, watching the players several stories above them, while Sirius explained to Gillette and Peter what they thought was going on. From this distance, James looked oddly like a queen bee, flying in some intricate pattern around the field, while the other players turned to face him or take signals from him.

Abruptly, and surprisingly, the game was over and everyone was heading back to the ground. They heard the announcement that Anna had caught the snitch for Gryffindor, making their final score one of the highest in years. It all seemed rather anticlimactic, and the group on the ground glanced at each other and chuckled in relief.

They headed onto the field toward their fellow Gryffindors. Many other students were quickly pouring onto the field as well, pressing in around both teams. In good form, both teams met on the field to shake hands and congratulate each other on the good game.

Sirius was just about to clap him on the shoulder when James crumpled to the ground. Someone screamed, but it was impossible to tell who in the chaos and press of the crowd. This also made it impossible to find out who had cast the spell on James, whatever the spell was.

Sirius dropped to his knees next to James. "Prongs. Prongs!" Sirius noticed that Lily had dropped down next to him, but he searched the too-close crowd for Gillette. She fought her way to the other side of James as Sirius patted his face, calling more insistently, "James." He looked back up at Gillette, pleading silently for her to do something.

Gillette examined James and saw that he was slowly turning blue. She leaned forward, putting her face close to his and placing her fingers to his throat, while trying to feel his breath on her cheek. His heart was beating but she couldn't feel any air, though, being outside, it was hard to tell. She tilted his head back in hopes of opening his airway. She sent up a silent prayer of thanks for that CPR class her parents made her take so she could handle anything that came up with her younger siblings, because she did not know how to handle this with magic. She was just about to start breathing for James when Professor Dumbledore parted the crowed, followed by Madam Pomfrey.

Not looking at Dumbledore, Gillette informed Madam Pomfrey, "I don't think he's breathing. His heart is beating, but…"

"I'll take over from here," Madam Pomfrey replied sternly.

Dumbledore turned to Professor McGonagall, "Have the professors keep the students away."

Lily still had a hold of James' hand when Madam Pomfrey started whispering incantations. Moving out of the way to allow her to work, Gillette walked to Sirius' side, putting a hand on his shoulder, mirroring Remus' gesture to Lily.

"Come on. Come on. Come on," Sirius whispered like a mantra. It seemed to be taking forever. How long could James remain blue like that and not have some sort of brain damage? He started shaking as he whispered, "James, please. Don't do this to me."

Seconds ticked by like hours and Lily had started crying.

With a sudden rush of air, James gasped, though his eyes still didn't open.

"We need to move him," Madam Pomfrey said.

Lily slumped slightly when James finally took a breath. She watched in relief as his color returned to normal. Then Professor McGonagall was crouched next to her, speaking.

"You need to move," Professor McGonagall said gently, her Scottish accent thicker than usual. "Madam Pomfrey needs room to work."

Lily nodded and let Remus pull her to her feet and away from James.

"Sirius…"

"No," he stated defiantly. He stood as the stretcher James had been place on was lifted off the ground.

Gillette came to stand halfway between him and James. "Sirius…"

"No."

It was only a whisper, but it was heartbreaking to hear. "Sirius. The best thing you can do for James is head to the waiting area and let Madam Pomfrey do what she does best." Sirius tore his eyes away from James and they came to rest on Gillette. He looked dazed, but nodded slowly.

Gillette left with Madam Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore. With the immediate danger being over, the crowd of students started to disperse.

"Padfoot, we're heading to the hospital wing," Peter said to Sirius' back.

Sirius didn't move, so Remus tapped him on the shoulder. "Sirius."

When Sirius looked up, his eyes flashed dangerously as he looked from Remus to the group of lingering Slytherins. Finding the one he was looking for, he marched straight toward them. Despite his status as a blood-traitor and, perhaps, because of the look in his eyes, the Slytherins backed away from Sirius as he came near. Only Snape held his ground. Grabbing him by the robes and pulling Snape to within an inch of his face, Sirius growled, "Who did it?"

"Sirius, no," Remus said from behind as Snape sneered at them.

Giving Snape a little shake, Sirius said more slowly and dangerously, "Who. did. it?"

"What are you going to do, Black?" Snape asked, still sneering, hatred showing through his eyes.

Lily came up behind Sirius and put a hand on his arm, but when she spoke, she addressed Snape. "Severus, did you do it?" she asked quietly.

Turning his attention to Lily, Snape's expression softened infinitesimally before he answered. "No."

"Do you know who did?"

"No."

Lily gazed at Snape a moment longer before turning to Sirius, "Let's go make sure James is okay, Sirius."

Sirius pushed Snape away from him so he stumbled into the group of Slytherins behind him. As he turned to walk away, Rastaban said condescendingly, "Does she hold your leash now, dog?" Sirius spun on the spot, wand drawn. "_Stupefy_." Rastaban fell to the ground, stunned and unconscious.

"Mr. Black!" Professor McGonagall, who had just helped usher away the last of the students from the quidditch pitch, said disapprovingly. "That will be twenty points and a detention. Now lower your wand." Stepping toward the Slytherins, she said, "_Renervate_," awakening Rastaban.

Far from having relieved his anger with that spell, Sirius ached to pummel something. He heard the professor's words, but really didn't care at the moment. He continued to hold his wand at the ready, facing the small group of Slytherins, who seemed to want nothing more than to escape back to the castle.

"Sirius… James," Remus said quietly. It was enough. Sirius lowered his wand and turned toward the castle. Each step he took, the icy anger melted into liquid worry. By the time the group of Gryffindors reached the hospital wing corridor, Sirius was running, and the others followed behind, trying to keep up.

When the small group burst into the hospital wing, Gillette immediately took up a position between the room itself and the waiting area, blocking their entrance. Before any of them could say anything, Gillette said, "He's fine."

Sirius made to move past her, but she blocked his way. Sirius stepped into her personal space, "Move."

Though Sirius was a good fifteen centimeters taller than the girl, she stood her ground. "No. Not yet."

"If he's fine, why can't we see him?"

"Dumbledore is talking with him and Madam Pomfrey is just finishing up. It will only be a minute and then you will be allowed to go in."

Sirius turned away and ran his hand through his hair, then started pacing.

Lily and Gillette hugged each other and Gillette said, "How are you doing?"

"Scared," Lily admitted. "What happened to him?"

"Dunno. Some kind of curse, but it wasn't one Madam Pomfrey's seen before."

Sirius, who had been listening to the girls, growled, "Snape."

"We don't know that," Lily snapped.

Before Sirius could protest, Remus jumped in, "Lily's right. Even if Snape did invent the spell, we have no way of knowing who cast it."

"And that makes it any less Snivellus' fault how, exactly? He obviously invented the spell to use on someone…" Sirius argued.

"Again, I say, 'we don't know that!'" Lily retorted.

"It doesn't matter," Gillette ventured.

Sirius looked at her as if he'd never seen her before. "'It doesn't matter?'"

"You can't prove anything one way or another, so you can't get revenge. James is fine. Let it go," Gillette challenged him.

"'Let it go?'" Sirius repeated looking dumbstruck. The two moved so they were standing toe-to-toe, neither backing down from the other. "James almost died. Do you know what that's like? To watch as your best friend dies and you can't do anything about it?"

"No," Gillette whispered, putting her hand on Sirius' chest.

Sirius blinked, reigning in the emotion that threatened to betray him by physically seeping from his eyes as tears. "I am not letting that go!"

"So what are you going to do, huh? 'Almost' kill one of them? Eye for an eye, is that it?" Gillette started off quietly, but built back up in tone and anger.

"Why not?"

"Because you're better than that. Because we've got less than a year of school before we get thrown out into the real world and the stakes become much higher."

"Higher?" Sirius cut her off. "Higher than James' life?"

"That's not what I meant. I'm talking about the war. I'm talking about the wizarding world being torn apart or held together based on our actions."

"How can you talk to me about the wizarding world and 'our' part in what happens to it? You're muggle-born. You go back to your muggle family every holiday. You haven't even _lived_ in the 'wizarding world.'"

Gillette stared in shock at Sirius, looking a bit like she'd been slugged, and when she first spoke, the word came out more air than voice. "Fine." She nodded, tears springing to her eyes in frustration and hurt. "Fine. I'm not part of your world. I'm not one of your purebloods. Hell, I'm not even a half-blood." Sirius started to interrupt, but she plowed forward. "But _try_ to listen to me anyway. If you choose to do this, now – to hurt them or kill them, not even knowing who they are – you might as well, at the very least, side with Crouch, who's made it okay to use the Unforgivables when he deems it necessary or justified. I'm not saying don't fight for justice – don't right the wrongs. We –You have to do exactly that. I'm just saying – be smart."

"Gillette…" Sirius started, but she held up her hand to stop him from talking. At the same time, she backed away, then walked out of the room without a backward glance. Sirius hung his head, knowing what he said had hurt her, and certainly not meaning it the way it came out. When Sirius raised his head, he looked first at Lily.

"You're an idiot, Black," Lily scolded. Turning to Remus, she requested, "Please let James know I was here." Remus nodded, and Lily followed the path Gillette had taken out of the hospital wing.

Sirius next looked at Remus, who was wearing a guarded expression, though frowning. "Padfoot," Remus began.

"I know," Sirius said, sounding remorseful. He sighed when he glanced at Peter, who shrugged at him.

Just then Madam Pomfrey walked over to the teens. "Mr. Potter is up and can see you now."

OOooOO

A/N - Thanks to all who continue to stay with me through this story and who read and review. Thank you. Oh, and thank you to my wonderful betas - mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton. Love.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer - Usual.

Okey Dokey all. I'm posting two 'cause the chapters are short. Enjoy.

Chapter 93

Remus, Peter, and Sirius went in to see how James was doing. Dumbledore was still standing next to his bed, the two chatting, when James saw the others approach. He grinned broadly at them, as though he'd just won first prize in a competition.

"Hey," Sirius nodded casually toward James.

"Hey," James answered in a gravely whisper.

"Mr. Potter's throat needs some time to recover." Madam Pomfrey approached the group from behind, giving an update on his condition. "But other than that, he will be fine."

"No permanent brain damage then?" Remus snarked.

James gestured rudely at Remus before remembering that Dumbledore was still there. He blushed and quickly apologized. "Sorry, professor."

Dumbledore chuckled lightly. "I have no idea to what you are referring. My attention was diverted by a most interesting bird that flew by the window." The Marauders snorted with laughter that only increased when Madam Pomfrey tutted disapprovingly.

After a minute, the levity evaporated from the room and Sirius asked, "Do you know who did it?"

James shook his head.

"It seems to be a mystery, for now," Dumbledore stated.

"A mystery?" Sirius said indignantly. "I can give you a few leads."

"The incident will be investigated, I assure you, Mr. Black. Now… If you'll excuse me," Dumbledore said, excusing himself.

After Dumbledore had left, Madam Pomfrey walking with him as he went, Remus said, "Lily was here."

James looked around, as if expecting to see her there.

"She's not here now. She left," Peter explained when he saw James frown.

"Why?" James whispered.

Peter and Remus glanced at Sirius. "What?" Sirius asked defiantly. "I didn't do anything to Evans." James frowned again; this time at the use of Lily's formal name. Looking back at James, Sirius shrugged, "I… may have said some things to Gillette…" Remus shifted from one foot to another, and Peter made a squeaky noise somewhere between a chuckle and grunt. Sirius scowled and continued. "That she may have taken wrong," he emphasized. "Making both of them mad at me."

"'May have taken wrong?' You practically called her a mudblood," Peter retorted.

"I did not!" Sirius glanced at James, knowing his reaction would be one of disgust. "I did not," Sirius repeated, trying to get James to understand. "I just said she hadn't yet become completely part of the wizarding world. I mean, she still goes home to her muggle family every holiday." James shook his head in disappointment. "I already said I'd apologize. Can we not talk about me and what an arse I am?"

"But it's so easy," Remus snarked, causing James to chuckle and then cough.

"Very funny," Sirius said sarcastically. "How are you?" he asked, turning his attention to James.

James nodded. "Good," he whispered.

"It was scary," Peter said solemnly, remembering what had happened. "You turned blue and everything."

"Yeah," Remus added. "We're all glad you made it."

"So when can you break out of this popsicle stand?" Sirius asked lightly.

James shrugged. "Dunno. Madam Pomfrey hasn't said yet."

As if on cue, Madam Pomfrey bustled over, carrying a potion and a spoon. "Okay, boys. Time's up. Mr. Potter will be able to leave by supper tonight, but until then, he needs his rest – so shoo." She said and waved them away with her hands.

Sirius hung back just long enough to say, "Prongs, don't ever do that again."

James saw the intensity of his friend's gaze and words failed him. Even if his throat had been well enough to allow for speech, he couldn't think of anything that would adequately console the fear and other emotions that Sirius let him see. So he settled for nodding, an unspoken agreement that he would not leave Sirius behind.

Sirius nodded his acceptance of the agreement and joined Remus and Peter as they left the hospital wing.

When they entered the Gryffindor common room, they saw that Lily and Gillette were studying with Addison and Patty. The group looked up at their approach, though Gillette quickly returned to whatever it was she was working on.

"Prongs is good," Remus gave the report. "He's having a little trouble talking, but other than that he was in high spirits."

Lily smiled at the news. "Good. Thank you, Remus."

Gillette looked at Remus who had settled himself in a seat across from her. "Do they know what the spell was that caused it?"

"If they do, they didn't tell us," Sirius answered. Gillette held eye contact with Remus, and then returned her attention to her assignment, refusing to look at Sirius.

Remus glanced at Sirius and nodded in Gillette's direction. Sirius sighed and tried to get Gillette's attention. "Gillette."

"No," she answered.

"No? I haven't asked you anything."

"I'm mad at you."

"I know," Sirius said, remorsefully enough for Gillette to look at him. "Can we talk?"

Gillette stared at Sirius, her eyes flicking from his left to his right and back again, as if reading a book, line by line. Finally, without saying anything, she stood and moved around the table so she could follow him, but as he reached out to take her arm or hand, whichever was easiest, she crossed her arms across her chest, not allowing him to touch her. Sirius sighed again and led her through the portrait hole.

Lily watched the two interact and shook her head slightly. She was probably more angry with Sirius than Gillette was, but she always was one to become more indignant over slights to her friends than to herself.

"I don't think I've ever seen him apologize for something so quickly," Remus commented off-handedly.

"Hmm? Oh." Lily shifted her attention back to Remus. "So?"

"So… He might not admit it, but he really likes her."

Peter nodded, agreeing with Remus' assessment.

"He has a funny way of showing it," Lily said bluntly, though without much heat, since Sirius' behavior was neither Remus' nor Peter's fault.

"Did James tell you that Sirius moved in with him this summer?" Remus continued casually.

"Yeah," Lily frowned, wondering where Remus was going with his statement.

"Sirius has grown up his whole life in the wizarding world…"

"So you're saying he's right and Gillette – and I – don't understand what's going on or what's at stake? Or that we don't care because we don't live in the 'wizarding world.'"

"No. What I'm saying is that he's already lost his family – his blood relatives – to this war, because he chose the other side. He's very well aware of the cost of Voldemort winning, so he's attached his security to a very few – maybe even just James – I don't know. And in a way, he's right. He has nowhere else to go. And you know as well as I do how sheltered we are here at Hogwarts. It's a testimony of how bad it must be out there that something like this could happen here."

"But at least he's safe," Lily countered. "He's a pureblood. It's not the purebloods they're tracking down and killing. It's the muggle-borns and half-bloods."

"You're forgetting that James is a pureblood," Remus stated. In the silence that followed the statement, something shifted. None of them had considered what it meant if purebloods were being targeted now too. Before, there had been assurances – lines that would not be crossed. The lines seemed to have been wiped away, and they couldn't help but wonder if there was anything the other side wouldn't do to win.

OOooOO

Gillette and Sirius walked in silence for a few minutes, Sirius not really sure how to begin, and Gillette working up the nerve to ask what she really wanted to know, but afraid of the answer.

"Look, I'm sorry for… how I said… I didn't mean…" Sirius began haltingly, but was cut off by Gillette.

"Why haven't you asked me out yet?" Gillette asked boldly, and a little angrily, but she still would not look at Sirius.

"Er… What?" Sirius was completely taken by surprise by the question, having no idea where it came from.

"Do you have something against muggle-borns?" she asked a little more hesitantly, afraid of what the answer might be.

"What?" Sirius asked again, still befuddled. "No!"

"But you don't consider us part of 'your world.'" Gillette countered.

"No. That's not what I meant. I…" Sirius ran his hand through his hair and grunted in frustration at his inability to express what he intended. He stopped walking and took Gillette by the shoulder, spinning her on the spot, so they were facing each other. "That's not what I meant," he repeated.

"Then what did you mean?"

Sirius thought for a moment, trying to come up with the right words – ones that would explain what he meant without offending her. "You… we aren't really part of 'the real world' right now. Right? We kind of live in a bubble – safe from what's going on 'out there.' Right?"

Gillette nodded slowly. "Okay."

"And, during holidays, where do you go?"

"Home."

"Right. You don't live with wizards. You don't… make your food using magic, or clean your room using magic. You use electricity and the phone and… wash dishes by hand. You're not even allowed to use magic. James and I can get away with it because we live in a wizard home and the ministry can't track who does the magic, just where. We're in contact with other wizards. We get _The Daily Prophet_ by owl everyday and it's not thought to be weird or unusual." Sirius paused to make sure she was following.

"Okay."

"You will. When you leave Hogwarts, you will do those things – most likely. You'll go into training and get a wizard job. But you're still isolated, to some degree."

"In a way. But, Sirius, you don't go home and fear that your family could be killed because of what you are – like Lily's family. Don't ever think that just because I don't live in 'your world' that I don't understand what's going on - or care."

Sirius reached out and tucked some loose strands of hair behind Gillette's ear. "Fair enough." The two started walking again. He nudged her gently with his elbow. "So… I'm sorry if I made it sound like I have a problem with muggles or muggle-borns." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her nod.

"So let me ask you this… If you don't have a problem with us… Why haven't you asked me out yet?"

Sirius laughed lightly, but glancing at her, he saw that she was being serious. "Oh. Really?" Sirius frowned. He'd never really thought about his reasons before. Shrugging he said, "I dunno."

Gillette turned around so that she was walking backwards, able to face Sirius. She punched him lightly on the shoulder. "That's not going to cut it. I want a reason. I mean… there is something here, right?"

Sirius squirmed uncomfortably, not wanting to commit to an answer. "Why do you want to know? I though we were good with the way things are?"

Gillette stopped walking again, forcing Sirius to do the same or he'd walk into her. She studied him a moment before walking to a nearby window and gazing out. "You know Lily and James are going to get married, right?"

Sirius chuckled softly. "Absolutely." He joined her in looking out the window.

"They're an amazing couple, even if they don't know it yet. Perfect for each other." Sirius remained silent, listening to what she had to say. "Don't you want that? Eventually, I mean."

Again, this was not something Sirius had ever really considered. It certainly wasn't that he didn't like girls; he'd just always thought his life was a bit too messed up to try to bring a woman into it. He never felt he had anything substantial to offer. All he really knew about family life, until recently, was what he didn't want. "Maybe. But… Even if there wasn't a war going on, I'd be an Auror. I don't think it's very fair to ask a woman to put up with a career like that. There's too much uncertainty. Add the war on top of that… It's too dangerous."

"Hmm," was all Gillette said in response.

Turning to look at Gillette directly, Sirius asked, "'Hmm' what? You don't agree? I mean, if you knew your potential future husband was going off to fight evil everyday, could you handle that?"

Leaning against the wall and returning his gaze, Gillette replied, "Oh, I think it would be difficult, not knowing… worrying every time he went on assignment. But it would be my choice. It's not like I'd be entering the relationship without knowing what could happen. Besides, how are James and Lily any different? You don't seem to disapprove of them."

"Well, they're both going into dangerous fields. James is going to be an Auror, too, and Lily wants to be a hit wizard."

Snorting in amusement, Gillette asked, somewhat sarcastically, "And that makes it better how?"

Sirius half leaned/half sat on the window ledge. He scratched his head in thought. "I don't know. It's just different."

"Different than who?"

"Than us," Sirius answered without thinking.

Gillette smiled coyly. "Oh, so there is an 'us.'"

The proverbial deer-in-the-headlights look that crossed Sirius' face was enough to make Gillette laugh. Hooking her arm through his, she said, still laughing, "Come on. Let's head back." She let him off the hook because she found out as much as she needed to know. He was, in fact, interested in her, but his concern and fear of their future together, and its potential for heartache, was stopping him from acting. "You're a real Gryffindor at heart," she said jokingly.

"Huh?" was Sirius' response, which only brought another round of pleasant laughter from the girl hanging onto his arm. He was too relieved to no longer be having the conversation to analyze what had happened. But Gillette was laughing, probably at him rather than with him, seeing as he wasn't laughing, and that meant things were okay between them again and that was really all that mattered.

Chapter 94

It was nearly eleven at night and James had just left to go on patrol with Sirius who escorted him while remaining under the invisibility cloak, leaving Lily alone to study in her quarters. There was a knock at her door and she frowned slightly, wondering who would be stopping by at this late hour. It was past curfew for students, and professors didn't come to students' quarters, but rather summoned those they wanted to talk with to their offices to avoid the appearance of impropriety. She wondered vaguely if maybe Gillette had snuck away and wanted to chat about Sirius. But when Lily opened her door, she was surprised, and worried, to see a very scared-looking first-year standing at her door.

"Miss Lily," the hesitant first-year said.

"Uh… Phoebe, is it?" Lily wondered what brought the young Slytherin to her door.

"Yes Miss Lily," Phoebe sniffled and looked over her shoulder. "I… I was… I'm lost and… scared. Can you help me?"

Lily frowned and looked beyond the girl, as if expecting to see something or someone following her. "I… Well, hold on a minute. Come on in." Far from looking relieved at arriving in a safe place, Phoebe seemed all the more nervous. "It's okay. I'm just going to grab my robe and then I'll take you back to your common room."

Once she had her robe and wand, Lily headed out the door with the young, frightened girl. It was kind of late in the year for a student to get lost, but Lily figured that with the way things move in the castle, it was possible that the girl had gotten turned around. "Are you coming from the library?"

Phoebe looked at Lily, wide-eyed. "I… y-yes."

Lily nodded, trying to put the girl at ease. "This castle can get a bit creepy at night, especially the dungeon area." The Head Boy and Head Girl quarters were fairly centralized, since any of the houses could produce one, so it didn't take long for the two girls to reach the entrance to the dungeons. Lily frowned, wondering how the girl got so turned around she couldn't find the dungeons, and yet knew her way well enough to find the Head Girl's quarters, never having been there before. Lily stopped walking. "Phoebe, why are you out so late?"

"I…" Phoebe took Lily's hand and pulled so that Lily bent forward and the two stood face-to-face. In a barely audible whisper, Phoebe said, "I'm sorry," then immediately took off running.

Lily knew this was not good. "_Lumos_," she whispered, as she backed back down the corridor. Not seeing anything, she spun on the spot and walked quickly toward the Entrance Hall, cursing herself for getting into this predicament, and knowing James would give her a good verbal lashing for so stupidly wandering out on her own.

"_Metus Formato_."

It was the last thing Lily remembered hearing before she was consumed by a cloud of oppressive blackness. It was so thick she couldn't see her fingers a centimeter in front of her face, but she could hear.

"Lily," called a whispered voice.

"Who's there?" Lily spun around, but still couldn't see anything. She quickly lost her bearings and knew better than to try to move. "_Lumos_," she whispered again, but her wand refused to give her any light. She only knew she was holding it up in front of her by feel. She could feel her arm extended and feel the wood in her hand.

"Lily," the voice called again, much closer this time, making her jump. Out of instinct, Lily took a step back. Panic flared in her, making her heart race and her mind become befuddled. It took all of her willpower not to run pell-mell into the abyss before her and hope that she came out on the other side.

"Lily." The voice was whispered in her ear this time, and she felt a wisp of breath against her ear and cheek. She let out a short, startled scream and spun again, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever was right next to her. She caught a glimpse of mirror-like eyes, but they vanished almost immediately.

A cold, bony hand was suddenly grasping the back of her neck with incredible strength. Lily kicked out with her foot and swung with her arm, but to no avail. The hand seemed to be as disembodied as the voice and eyes. Unable to find something physical to fight, Lily tried to throw up a shield charm. The hand seemed to loosen momentarily, only to re-grip at the front of her neck, thus preventing her from speaking, and nearly cutting off all air.

"Look," the voice whispered coolly, and the eyes suddenly appeared directly in front of Lily's, giving her no choice but to peer into the reflective orbs before her.

She felt as if she had fallen into a pensive, and there was finally something for her to see. She recognized the street she grew up on. It was evening, but there were surprisingly few lights on in the windows of the houses that lined the street. Without walking, she was pulled forward to her house.

"No," Lily said, anticipating the scene that was about to unfold. This wasn't a memory as she would have witnessed in a pensive; it was a nightmare – her nightmare. She had been plagued by it for months after her parents died. Only now it seemed so much more real, perhaps because she knew she was awake.

She watched the cloaked figures move up the walkway to her house. She floated next to them, unable to interact, or change what was happening. The front door was magicked open and the figures continued through the door, into the house, and up the stairs. Each bedroom they passed, they opened the door, checking for occupants. Lily caught a glimpse of her room on the right and her sister's room on her left. Her parent's room was meters in front of her. She held out her hands, searching for anything that would stop her progress forward.

"No, no, no, no, no," she repeated over and over again, hoping that by force of will she could stop what was about to happen. But it didn't.

She followed, unwillingly, the cloaked figures as they swept into her parents' room. Lily screamed, "NO!" as she heard two indistinct voices say, "_Avada Kedavra_," followed by simultaneous flashes of green light. Her parents' bodies glowed momentarily before darkness settled back in the room. The robed figures were no longer standing in the room and Lily, who had fallen to the floor, wept and crawled onto her parents' bed, feeling five and frightened and wanting nothing more than her parents to wake up and tell her it was just a bad dream.

Darkness consumed her and she closed her eyes, welcoming the lack of scenery, yet somehow longing to be back in the bed, curled up between her parents. But her eyes opened abruptly when she heard a familiar voice shriek at her.

"Witch! Freak!" Petunia yelled. Lily was still curled on a bed in the same house, but it was her bed this time, and her sister hurling names and insults at her. "It's your fault they're dead! You! Why couldn't they have just killed you and your freak-friend?!"

Lily shut her eyes and buried her face in her bed and hoped that Petunia would just leave her alone.

Minutes passed and the darkness came back, swallowing her, changing the scene once again, to another nightmare. Lily had become locked in a world of fear created from her own thoughts, and they pressed against her, suffocating her, binding her – cocooning her and cutting her off from reality.

She didn't feel the strong arms that picked her up, held her close, and carried her all the way to the hospital wing, almost dropping her now and again as she unexpectedly flailed and fought against the next horror to assail her. She didn't know that, once they reached the hospital wing, he climbed onto the bed with her so he could rock her and whisper reassurances and hold down her arms so she couldn't hurt herself. And she would never know that his tears mingled with hers as he fought his own panic while he waited to find out what was wrong and if she'd eventually be all right.

And as James sat, holding Lily, he looked over at his best friend. He nodded once, letting the cold fury in his eyes speak for him. Sirius nodded back and stole out of the hospital wing before the busily working Madam Pomfrey or Dumbledore, McGonagall and Slughorn, who had each been summoned, knew he had been there. With the invisibility cloak tucked safely in his pocket, Sirius didn't bother stopping by the Gryffindor dorms. He had something to take care of, and he wasn't about to get the others involved.

OOooOO

A/N _Metus Formato_ means "fear maker." I apologize if I used the wrong forms of either of those words – I am not Latin proficient.

Once again, thank you to all who take the time to review. Hope you enjoy the little cliffy. Thank you also to my lovely betas - mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton. Love to you.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer - Usual

Chapter 95

Sirius made his way as quickly and as stealthily as he could to the Potion Master's storage room. It took several attempts with spells to find the one that unlocked the door. He carefully examined the shelves until he located the potion he was looking for. Finding an empty vial in the nearby "student supplies" section, he poured a miniscule amount of the precious liquid into it and returned the original to its proper place on the shelf. He then headed back out of the room, locking the door behind him with the appropriate spell, and took the quickest path to the Slytherin common room. Once he arrived, it was merely a waiting game until the correct victim left or returned to the common room.

Sirius, who was usually quite reckless when angered, was unusually self-possessed. He had thought about ways of extracting information from the Slytherins when the incident with James had occurred earlier in the day. He also found a certain freedom in acting on someone else's behalf. As personal as it was, this was also a job that needed to be done correctly for the sake of someone else and, as such, he was able to maintain an unusual amount of calm. So he waited.

He watched as Slughorn, who had been summoned due to the attack's proximity to the Slytherin common room, returned from the hospital wing, looking rather harried, and entered. He exited some time later and presumably returned to his own quarters. A few hours later, students began filing out of the common room to begin their day with a hearty breakfast. Sirius continued to wait until he saw a viable target – Avery. Avery had always been tight with the group of Death Eater-wannabes, but he was also a bit of a coward.

Sirius used a simple spell to trip Avery by making his shoe stick to the floor. He barely caught himself when his body's momentum carried him forward, but his foot remained where it was.

"What's the matter with you?" Nott asked, not so politely.

"My shoe's stuck," Avery responded.

His friends looked around briefly, but upon not seeing anyone in the area, they started to snicker at their unfortunate friend. "Stupid blighter," Nott condescended and continued on his way to breakfast.

Avery mumbled to himself, "Don't worry about me. You just go on to breakfast. I'll catch up."

As soon as he was alone in the corridor, Sirius whispered, "_Incarcerous_," binding Avery in ropes.

Avery opened his mouth to yell, but Sirius was quicker. "_Silencio_." He freed the other boy's foot and levitated him to the nearest room.

"Hello Avery," Sirius said coolly and sat the teen on a dusty, long unused desk. "I'm looking for some information and you're going to give it to me." Pointing his wand at Avery's face, he warned, "And don't scream or I'll give you a reason too. Understand?" Avery's eyes were wide and frightened, but he nodded his compliance to Sirius' command.

Sirius pulled out his vial and jiggled it in front of Avery's face. "Do you know what this is?" he asked coyly.

Avery looked nervously at the bottle, then back to Sirius and shook his head.

"Veritasirum," Sirius said and uncorked the vial. "Open wide."

Avery clamped his mouth shut defiantly. Having expected this, Sirius reached up and pinched Avery's nose closed so he had to open his mouth to breathe. As soon as he did, Sirius tapped just two drops of the potion into his mouth, then moved his hand to force Avery's mouth closed.

Sirius watched until Avery swallowed before beginning the interrogation. "Now. Who attacked Lily?"

"Nott. But it was Bulstrode's idea," he said flatly.

"Who else was in on it?"

"I knew about it, as well as Lestrange and Black."

"Regulus?" Sirius snapped.

"Yes," Avery smiled. "He's going to make a formidable Death Eater."

Sirius kicked the desk on which Avery was sitting, causing the teen to wobble precariously, but with a flick of his wand, Sirius steadied Avery to keep him from falling. He didn't want to leave any evidence that he had been near any of the Slytherins that morning. "Who else? How did you get Lily to the dungeon level?"

"We coerced Phoebe Montague into playing the frightened student looking for her way back to her common room." Though Avery laughed, there was an unnatural sound to it. "Not that she wasn't truly frightened."

"What about Snape?"

"No. He didn't think it was necessary to single out a mudblood as an example, since everyone already knows how the Dark Lord feels about mudbloods. He said anything short of death was pointless." Avery laughed again, and the sound sent a chill down Sirius' spine.

"What about what happened to James? Who was in on that?"

Avery continued to smile eerily. "I was, and Lestrange, Bulstrode, and Nott."

"And Snape?"

"It was his spell. He created it just for James."

"What about Regulus?"

"No. We had originally intended to use the spell during the quidditch game – to make it look like an accident – but Regulus has too much respect for the game to mess with one of the players. Though Lestrange thinks he's afraid of what you would have done had Potter died."

Sirius wasn't sure how to take that bit of information, so he settled on relief that Regulus hadn't been involved. "Fine. Here's what you're going to do…"

"You're not going to Imperius me. I've heard you refuse to use the Unforgivables," Avery laughed again. "Pathetic. So what makes you think you can make me do anything?" Avery said in a surprisingly confident voice.

Sirius reminded himself that knocking Avery to the floor would be counterproductive. "No, I'm not going to Imperius you. Let the others know I'll be alone and unprotected for the next half hour. Make sure the kid – Montague – is with you." Sirius performed a memory-modification charm on Avery, so he wouldn't realize that Sirius had planted the idea, and gave him the exact location of where he would be. He was mildly surprised that his first-ever memory-mod charm took, but chalked it up to Avery being a bit of a simpleton.

After releasing Avery, Sirius threw the invisibility cloak over himself and made his way to the Room of Requirement to get the rest of the payback set up.

It wasn't long before the entire group arrived. They often traveled in a pack, and a chance to catch the blood-traitor alone, especially after the success of their last two missions, was irresistible. They strutted into the room as if they owned the place – sure of another successful demonstration of Death Eater superiority. Only Snape hesitated. He stayed on the fringe of the room, finding the opportunity a bit too convenient. He glanced around the room, but all he saw were about a dozen crates, haphazardly strewn about the room, each roughly a cubic meter in size.

Sirius was indeed alone, and he looked very unconcerned about being surrounded by his worst enemies, which further served to make Snape suspicious. In contrast, Snape's companions only grew in boldness.

"What's the matter, Black? Did we put the fear of God in you?" Lestrange taunted.

"Yeah," Bulstrode joined in the taunting. "Here to switch sides?"

Sirius' only reply was, "chains," and immediately small sections of the floor opened up around each of the occupants. Chains shot up and bound them, hands and feet, taking them by surprise. Several screamed and yelled but none of them could get to their wands. He walked up to Regulus and Phoebe, who had already started crying, and said, "Free." The chains dropped off of both, but Sirius held his wand at the ready, preventing them from making any sudden movements.

"Move," Sirius commanded.

Regulus held his ground. "No. Not until…"

Sirius punched his brother, letting his anger get the better of him for the first time that morning. It was the least his brother deserved after all he'd been involved in.

"Move," he growled again.

Regulus glanced around, unsure of what to do. Sirius was obviously angry enough to hurt him, but why separate him from the others? Unable to think of anything, he allowed Sirius to usher them to the door. As they stepped into the corridor, he heard Sirius utter a final command to the room. "Begin." As the door closed, one of the students inside belted out a scream – Bulstrode by the sound of the feminine voice. Regulus made to return to the room, but Sirius pointed his wand and said, "_Petrificus totalus_," and Regulus thumped like a block of wood against the door. Phoebe screamed and tried to run in the opposite direction, but he performed the same spell on her. Her forward momentum caused her to topple stiffly to the floor.

Working quietly and efficiently, Sirius levitated Regulus several feet off the floor and then used a permanent sticking charm to affix the Slytherin robes to the wall opposite the Room. He performed the similar charms on Phoebe, giving them the appearance of gigantic green and silver moths pinned to a life-sized bug board.

"The full body bind should wear off momentarily, but you'll still be stuck to the wall. I hope you've got more than knickers on under your robes. Wish I could be here to see that, but alas," Sirius grinned malevolently.

"Sirius! Get us down!" Regulus yelled.

"I can't. That's why it's called a _permanent_ sticking charm."

Regulus let out a stream of curses, calling Sirius every derisive name he could think of. "You do an excellent impression of mother dearest," Sirius said. The sleepless night and the energy he'd expended putting all of this together had drained him and he was quickly losing his calm.

Turning to the young girl, he saw that she was crying again and staring in horror at the door to the Room of Requirement. "Montague," Sirius called to get the girl's attention. She looked at him. "I hear you were not a willing participant. Your sticking charm is not permanent and will wear off in an hour or two. If you haven't been discovered by then, you'll be able to go for help. I could make some profound speech about choices and picking your friends, but I'm going to modify your memory, so you won't remember anything I say anyway. But I know you're not an idiot," Sirius directed his comment at Regulus. "Well… I take that back. You are an idiot or you wouldn't be here. But hopefully even you realize that this happened because you chose to hurt the people I care about."

Sirius performed the memory modification charms on them and casually walked away, leaving the two specimens hanging on the wall, unable to move or assist their fellow Slytherins, whose panicked shouts could be heard coming from the room across the corridor from them.

OOooOO

A/N - Thanks again for the wonderful reviews. Y'all know how to make me smile. Thank you. Thank you also to my wonderful betas - mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer – Usual.

Chapter 96

The morning was still young, so Sirius traveled to the Great Hall for breakfast. Remus and Peter were sitting at the table, eating, when he arrived, looking both exhausted and yet obscenely awake for a Sunday morning.

"Where were you?" Remus asked.

Without looking at Remus, Sirius answered, "I was out taking a stroll." He had every intention of letting Remus and Peter in on what had happened last night and this morning, but he figured their ignorance would work in their favor if the teachers came around asking questions of the Marauders. Peter was staring dazedly at his coffee cup, though Remus looked as if he was about to question Sirius further, when Professor McGonagall swept over to them.

"You three, come with me." At Peter's somewhat mournful look, McGonagall assured them, "Breakfast will be brought to you."

Sirius sighed tiredly, but Remus and Peter cast each other curious expressions. They followed McGonagall out of the Great Hall and up the first flight of stairs before Remus asked, "Professor, where are we going?"

"You are allowed to visit with James and Lily now."

"What?!" Peter and Remus asked in unison. "What happened?"

Professor McGonagall frowned slightly in confusion. She thought for sure that if James had spent the night in the hospital wing, the others would somehow know about it already, but then she remembered that he no longer slept in the same dorm as the others. "You haven't heard?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but no," Remus stated as politely as he could manage through his anxiety. His eyes traveled to Sirius, who was determinedly avoiding his gaze. Sirius knew something and hadn't told them. What was going on?

"Miss Evans was… well… she was attacked last night," McGonagall explained.

"Lily?" Remus exclaimed in surprise.

Sirius cursed quietly, siphoning off some of the anger he'd stored up - for once glad he had a reputation for speaking inappropriately, as it made his reaction seem genuine.

"Mr. Black," McGonagall said warningly, but she did not scold him any further. "I'm sorry. I assumed you all knew, since Mr. Potter spent the night with her."

Remus frowned in Sirius' direction again, but said simply, "No ma'am. James had patrol last night, and we were in the common room. We hadn't expected to see him until this morning."

Peter asked, "So… James is okay then?"

"Yes. Fine." McGonagall again glanced at the teens. Remus, she knew, was the honest and responsible one of the group, and he seemed genuinely surprised by the news. Perhaps they did not know what had occurred. After all, James had not had opportunity to contact the others last night – not while she was there, anyway. And she was fairly certain they would have rallied around both Lily and James had they known about what happened, rules about curfew aside.

After a few quiet, tense moments, Peter asked, "How is she, Professor?"

"She's… stable. We were concerned, last night, that… Well… She's expected to make a full recovery. James is with her, though I'm not sure how much longer he'll be awake. It was a long night."

"Thank you, ma'am," Remus said. He suspected that there was more to the "invitation" than McGonagall had stated, but so far she hadn't indicated anything. "Has someone informed Gillette?"

"She arrived this morning, as she was scheduled to work with Madam Pomfrey today. I'll be notifying the rest of the house later today at the house meeting."

"House meeting, Professor?" Sirius asked, having a feeling he knew what it would be about.

"Yes, Mr. Black. We'll be having a house meeting to inform the students of what happened and to make it very clear that there is to be absolutely no retaliation." McGonagall's tone was enough to let them know there would be no arguing about the matter.

"Does anyone know who's responsible?" Remus asked.

McGonagall frowned. "Not as of yet, but we will be investigating."

Sirius let out a derisive laugh. "Right, like you did with James."

McGonagall stopped walking and turned to face Sirius fully. "Mr. Black! These things take time, and…"

"I'm sorry, Professor," Sirius cut her off. Following her lead, he too had stopped walking. He was several centimeters taller than she, and he glared down at her with icy grey eyes. "But you're never going to find out who did it. It's not like anybody's going to confess. Hell, I could give you the names of exactly who was involved, but nothing's going to happen because there's no 'proof.'"

Professor McGonagall's first reaction was one of outrage. How dare Sirius speak to her so disrespectfully! But she realized he was probably right. After a day of investigation, they were no closer to being able to pinpoint exactly who had attacked James than they were before. There were, of course, ways they could find out, but they were not viable for a school setting – at least in Dumbledore's opinion. She sometimes wondered if he let things happen at the school in order to make certain that students are aware of how things are in the real world.

Her thoughts drifted to the Order of the Phoenix. Hadn't it been set up for exactly this reason? Because in the real world there was too much red-tape, too much faith in the "institution," and not enough people to help.

To Sirius' surprise, McGonagall's mouth twitched as if she was holding back a smile. "You understand the importance of the Order now." She looked at each teen in turn before continuing. "However, I will not condone vigilante behavior while you still attend this school – not while I'm responsible for the safety of the students under my care. We, the professors, will deal with this."

The small group walked the rest of the way to the hospital wing in silence. When they arrived, James was eating breakfast from one of the hospital trays. He looked exhausted and, when he glanced up at the sound of people entering the room, Remus noticed that he looked tense. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sirius give an almost imperceptible nod to James, who only then relaxed. It happened so fast that, to the casual observer, it may have appeared that James relaxed with the arrival of his friends, rather than at the message conveyed by Sirius.

Gillette, who had always managed to maintain a stoic façade, even when attending to the Marauders, was sitting in a chair, leaning forward so that her head rested on Lily's bed and she was holding her hand. She sat up at the Marauders' approach.

Sirius headed first to James, the two embracing in a brotherly hug. He then made his way to Gillette and put a hand on her shoulder. She leaned sideways in her chair so she could rest her head against his stomach.

Remus also greeted James with a hug and asked, "What happened?"

James' eyes flickered for the briefest of moments in Sirius' direction before he launched into his story. "I dunno, exactly. I was patrolling when I came across Lily. She was… huddled against a wall in the corridor leading to the Slytherin common room. I picked her up and brought her here." James paused, reliving some of the most terrifying moments of his life. He had watched Lily scream and shrink away in fear from unknown and unseen assailants. At other moments, she grew so still and pale that she looked dead. "It was a curse. It took a while to figure out what it was and how to counter it, but Madam Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore were amazing. They thought she might have to be transferred to St. Mungo's at first, but they figured it out. She was locked in some sort of nightmare or vision or something… I've never seen her so terrified. I've never seen anyone so terrified. It reminded me of the stories you hear about Azkaban. And let me tell you… if Azkaban is even close to what she was going through…" James let the sentence hang as he gave a slight shiver.

"When will she wake up?" Sirius asked. He had taken over Gillette's chair, and she was sitting on his lap, wrapped in his comforting arms.

"We're going to let her wake up on her own," Gillette lifted her head to reply. Her voice was weak and shaky as she continued, "She's been given a dreamless-sleep draught to help her rest easier."

"How about you?" Sirius nodded at James. "Did you get any sleep?"

"Not much," James answered, giving him a weak smile.

"You should go. We can stay. We'll let you know when she wakes up," Sirius offered.

"Nuh-uh. I'm going to sleep here."

Remus smiled sadly. "No better place for it. I'm surprised Madam Pomfrey hasn't offered you a sleeping potion."

James snorted. "Oh she did. It's sitting by the bed over there."

"Go," Sirius urged. "We'll be here." James finished his last bite of breakfast and headed to the bed.

Professor McGonagall watched the teens interact. She kept her distance, not wanting to intrude, but she felt she needed to be close by in case things got out of hand. To her surprise, none of them seemed all that concerned about the perpetrators of this crime. Feeling ill-at-ease, McGonagall strode up to Madam Pomfrey. "I must go. We're having a meeting to decide the best way to investigate this incident. Let me know if anything changes."

Sagely, Poppy said, "With Miss Evans or the boys?"

One side of Minerva's mouth turned up into a half-smile. It was often easy to think that, because of Poppy's tendency not to ask questions, she was oblivious to what went on around her. Obviously, she wasn't as unaware as she let others believe. "Both," McGonagall answered, and walked away.

Madam Pomfrey walked over to the small group of friends and said, "You need to get some rest, Mr. Potter. You've had time to visit with your friends. I will make them leave if you do not sleep."

Once she walked away, Peter asked quietly, "So what's the plan?"

"For what?" Sirius asked innocently.

"You can't tell me that we aren't getting back for this," Peter said incredulously.

Sirius smiled, appreciating the sentiment, but said, "We're not going to do anything."

Gillette sat up. "Look, I don't want you guys getting in trouble. And what I said earlier still stands – I don't want you to do anything stupid. But we have to do something. Two attacks in one day… They can't get away with this."

Remus frowned, "I must admit… I'm a tad surprised that you and Prongs aren't jumping at the bit to get your hands on a few Slytherins."

"_We're_ not going to do anything," Sirius repeated the sentiment of his earlier statement. "It's already been taken care of."

"What?" Peter asked, looking both admiring and hurt. He had never been left out of something this big before; but when he looked over at Remus, it was clear that Remus had not been a part of whatever happened either.

"What did you do?" Remus asked, not sure he really wanted to know.

"Yeah, I'm kind of curious about that myself," James added, grinning wickedly.

Everyone but Sirius looked at James in surprise.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" Sirius asked James. Addressing everyone, he said, "And who said I did anything? Yet."

"But you said it was taken care of," Peter argued.

"Karma," was Sirius' response.

Remus groaned. If Sirius was working this hard to keep what he'd done a secret, even from his friends, it was probably best none of them knew any details. And he was sure Sirius had already done something.

An hour and a half later, James was sleeping soundly on a nearby bed, and the rest of the Marauders, and Gillette, were working on classwork – Remus and Peter having retrieved their possessions from the dorm earlier. Peter occasionally asked questions from his assignment, knowing that someone would give him the answers eventually. Gillette kept casting furtive glances at Sirius.

Without looking up from what he was doing, Sirius finally asked, "What?"

"Should I be worried?" Gillette asked quietly.

"Uh… You're the healer, you tell me."

"I don't mean about Lily. I mean about whatever it is you did."

"What did I do?"

"Sirius!" Gillette sighed in exasperation.

Just then, Professor McGonagall entered the room. "Boys," she said sharply, getting their attention. "Do you know anything about missing Slytherins?"

Peter let out a grunt of confusion and Remus frowned and answered, "No, professor."

"Mr. Black?"

"No, ma'am. I am unaware that any Slytherins are missing." This was true. He knew exactly where they were.

"And I suppose it would be pointless for me to awaken Mr. Potter, since he would not know anything about this either?"

"You can ask him, professor, but he's been here since last night. How long have they been missing?" Sirius answered smoothly.

Professor McGonagall had that well-honed teacher sense that told her something wasn't right. She would think that the Marauders, of all people, would be highly interested in an event like this, if only to be able to make fun of the Slytherins for losing some of their own. But they weren't. Perhaps their concern for Lily was much stronger than whatever was going on elsewhere. She used her years of practice to scowl at each of the boys and Miss Beynon in hopes of getting one of them to fess up, but none of them quailed under her intense gaze – well, except for Pettigrew, but that was hardly unusual. Still…

It was at this moment that one of the Slytherin prefects ran into the Hospital Wing. Breathless, she bent over at the waist, trying to catch her breath. "Professor… Madam… Pomfrey… Found them."

McGonagall quickly rushed over to her. "Where?"

"Need… Pomfrey," the prefect wheezed out.

"Just take a moment to catch your breath and tell me where they are," McGonagall retorted shortly.

The prefect frowned up at the Professor and shook her head, "Not… for me. For them!"

"Oh dear!" McGonagall exclaimed. "Poppy!"

Madam Pomfrey must have heard the girl come in, for when she bustled out of her office, she was carrying a medical bag, and the three left in a hurry, the older women letting the prefect guide them.

Peter, who had jumped to his feet with the entry of McGonagall, was currently hopping from foot to foot. He really wanted to dart after McGonagall to find out what was going on, but none of the other Marauders had made a move to follow – though James was still sleeping soundly, so he didn't count. Instead, he looked meaningfully from Remus to Sirius to the door, hoping one of them would make a move to leave. But even Gillette seemed to have frozen in her place, unsure what to make of what was going on.

"You can go," Sirius said indifferently, "but I promised Prongs I'd be here if Lily wakes up."

"I think…" Remus started slowly, contemplating the best course of action, "we should all stay here."

"What? Why?" Peter asked disappointedly.

"Because, if Padfoot stays behind, it will look like he already knows what's going on. If we all stay here, then it looks like we're more worried about Lily and Prongs than some lost Slytherins," Remus explained.

Peter cast a longing glance at the door, but he sat back down in his chair.

"Well, I'm going," Gillette said, standing up. "I might be able to help."

The guys looked at her in surprise, but it was Sirius who spoke. "You can't."

"Why not?" Gillette was surprised by the look of betrayal on Sirius' face.

"You don't know where to go," Remus answered.

Her eyes never left Sirius' as she said, "Then tell me."

"I can't," Sirius said.

"You can't, or you won't?"

Sirius held her gaze, but said nothing more.

Remus once again stepped in to patiently explain. "You don't know where they are. If Sirius tells you, then they'll… think he's responsible."

Gillette continued to stare at Sirius while she waged an internal battle – both admiring how Sirius stood up for his friends, fighting for justice when he perceived those in authority wouldn't, and being concerned about his willingness to break the rules and wondering how far he would go to exact revenge. Part of her even struggled with the fact that she wanted to be involved in the payback. She had been unable to actively do anything when Lily's parents were killed, and she was unable to do anything now either. "Fine," she said, and settled back into her seat, finally averting her eyes.

It was only ten minutes later when the half-dozen plus Slytherins were brought into the hospital wing, each in varying degrees of stress – three were unconscious, one was crying hysterically, two appeared to be in shock, and one had murder in his eyes. It only took Regulus seeing the Marauders in the room for chaos to erupt. His shouts of anger snapped Snape and Lestrange out of their stupors, and they too began yelling accusations and threats. Meanwhile, the Marauders were yelling in kind, as well as denying any involvement, though openly admitting they wished for their chance at payback.

A loud _BANG_! caused both sides to become silent, and they turned to stare at Madam Pomfrey. "This is a hospital wing! I have patients to whom I need to attend. All of you who are not in need of medical attention – Out!"

"Just a moment, if you please, Poppy," Dumbledore said. "I wish for the Slytherins to remain here so that Professor Slughorn and I may question them."

"Fine. But the others must leave."

"As you wish," Dumbledore agreed. "Minerva, please escort these gentleman to your office. I will be along shortly to speak with them. And, Poppy, awaken Mr. Potter. I will need to speak with him as well."

"Yes, Headmaster," Poppy said somewhat reluctantly.

Professor McGonagall led the three Marauders to her office to wait. She seemed unable, or perhaps just unwilling, to speak at the moment.

James arrived a few minutes later, escorted by Gillette, who McGonagall promptly dismissed. He was the first to speak. "Professor, what happened?"

She glanced at him and said, "The missing Slytherins were found, as you probably noticed." James had been sleeping under the influence of a sleeping potion, when the Slytherins first arrived. It takes some people more time to awaken from a potion than others, and she wasn't sure how much James had heard and understood about what was going on.

"Where were they?" Remus asked out of curiosity.

"The young first-year," McGonagall emphasized her age as if trying to make the guys feel guilty about what had happened to her, "was found wandering the halls without her robe. Fortunately, she was fully dressed underneath her robes thanks to the coolness of the dungeon. Be that as it may, she was nearly hysterical when she led Thompson back to the place where the others were located."

Sirius leaned toward Remus and asked quietly, "Thompson?"

Remus whispered back, "Third-year Ravenclaw boy."

"Ah."

McGonagall frowned at the interruption. "It was discovered that Miss Montague's robes, as well as Mr. Black's…"

"Not mine," Sirius clarified, with a slight smirk.

"Were attached to a wall. We were able to free Miss Montague's robes, but Mr. Black's have been made a permanent fixture. We will have to remove that section of wall to remove the robes."

"Regulus sleeps in boxers. Wonder if he was dressed yet," Sirius commented, causing James to snicker.

"This is not amusing, Mr. Black. School property was damaged. And that's nothing compared to what was going on in the room across from where Mr. Black – your brother – was discovered."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but what was happening in the room?" Peter asked. He tried to maintain a serious and concerned expression, despite his curiosity and awe. This was possibly the best payback he'd heard of yet. He could just imagine Regulus stuck to the wall, his only means of getting down by stripping.

"Avery, Nott, Bulstrode, Lestrange and Snape were chained in a room full of boggarts - each of them having to face their deepest fears," McGonagall said sternly. "It was terrifying for them. And dangerous. One of them was afraid of fire. Had it not been for the adequate ventilation, they all could have died."

"I didn't know we had a room like that," James snickered.

"Well, apparently we do. But fire. That's a good one. I can see being afraid of fire," Sirius commented.

"Shut up!" Remus snapped at Sirius. Remus' stomach did a nasty flip and he was reminded of the incident back in fifth-year with Snape. He couldn't keep his mind from jumping to worst case scenarios and he was only glad that everyone had survived. For once, he felt guilty that he had not been involved, because maybe Sirius wouldn't have gone so far if he had been.

"Mr. Lupin is correct, Mr. Black. This is a very serious matter and I expect you to act accordingly," McGonagall stated.

Sirius didn't say anything more, but he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms in obvious defiance.

Professor Dumbledore arrived some time later. He spoke briefly with Professor McGonagall before turning his attention to the students before him. "I understand that yesterday was a rather, uh… stressful day. And I can understand that emotions were running high. I am asking you all if you had anything to do with what happened to the Slytherins."

"Have they said that we did?" Sirius asked, for the first time somewhat nervously. He wasn't sure if his memory modification charms would hold.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but are we being blamed for this?" James asked.

"It seems that none of the students remember why they were in that room – or outside it, as the case may be."

"Then why are we here?" Sirius asked.

"I thought… You might have some insight into this particular incident."

Sirius shrugged, James shook his head, and Peter spoke up, "Sir, we didn't know anything had even happened to Lily until breakfast this morning."

Dumbledore glanced quickly at McGonagall, who gave a nod of confirmation. "No, of course not."

"And I knew what had happened, but I was in the hospital wing all night," James added.

"And you didn't contact anyone, Sirius perhaps, about what had happened?" Dumbledore asked.

"No, sir."

McGonagall blurted out in frustration, "You can't tell me that it is coincidence that someone got revenge on Slytherins for what happened to Miss Evans and Mr. Potter, and it didn't involve any of you."

"With all due respect, ma'am, you don't know it was done out of revenge," Sirius stated coolly.

Remus picked up the argument. "This is true. The Slytherins have not been blamed for what happened to James and Lily."

"In fact, no one seems to know who attacked them," Sirius said angrily.

James picked up the thread. "It's possible that all three crimes were committed by the same person, or people."

"I see," McGonagall stated, torn between knowing that the teens were going to get away with what happened, and being impressed by their argument and unified front.

"Well," Dumbledore said, lightly slapping his knee as he rose to his feet. "It appears we will have to continue investigating. The castle has a way of revealing her secrets in due time. Until then, Mr. Potter, as Head boy, I expect you to set an example, showing that these incidents must stop and no revenge will be sought for further… infractions. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"He can't honestly be held responsible for the actions of a few who insist on spreading fear throughout the school by using him as an example, can he?" Sirius asked.

"No. But I can expect him to be responsible for his own actions and to lead by example." Dumbledore turned to McGonagall and nodded before leaving.

McGonagall peered at each of the boys present, and they waited expectantly for her to lecture them further. "Trust, gentlemen, is sacred. I am impressed by the bond you four share. However… I had hoped that, by initiating you into the Order, you would have realized that there is more at stake than your personal egos."

"Egos?!" Sirius jumped from his seat but, before he could say anything, James put his hand out to stay him. Sirius glanced at James and sat back down in a huff.

"Mr. Black, there is, sometimes, more at stake than you realize. You must trust us to do what we think is best, however trying that may be for you. I know it's a difficult concept for young people to understand, but trust me when I say we have a tad more experience than you. Sometimes it is best not to act." Her statement was met with silence, and she could see the wheels turning in their heads as they doubted what they knew to be certain and wondered what McGonagall and Dumbledore knew. Satisfied that she had given them something to ponder, she said, "You may go."

OOooOO

A/N - Thank you again for the awesome reviews! I know, I say that all the time - but it's still true. Thank you! Sorry for the delay in posting. I really hate posting without responding to reviews first and life has gotten very hectic of late. I imagine it will continue this way (life, that is) for the next few months, so I apologize now for my future erratic-ness. Thank you to mi'lovelies - mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton. Love to you and eternal gratitude - for so much more just than this story.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer - Usual

Chapter 97

The Marauders spent the rest of the afternoon in the Gryffindor common room, where Sirius gave them a more thorough run-down of what had occurred. He told them of how he had interrogated Avery to make sure he knew who was involved. He told them that Lily's obvious terror had been the inspiration behind the boggarts and that he had made sure the Room of Requirement kept its occupants physically unharmed, which explained why a room full of fire hadn't so much as knocked its occupants unconscious, let alone killed any of them. He also shared with them that he had specified that the room was to alter their memories so they couldn't tell how they had gotten there.

After a good hour or more of questioning Sirius, Remus had to admit he was impressed with how well thought out the plan was, though he still didn't entirely approve. He knew better than most how fear could cause as much trauma as any physical injury.

It was near supper when Lily entered the common room, followed closely by Gillette. James jumped from his seat and ran to greet her, wrapping her in a bone crunching hug.

"Breathe," Lily's strangled voice replied in greeting. "Can't breathe."

"Oh, sorry," James said, letting her go. The slight lightheadedness from the lack of oxygen, coupled with the sudden loss of support, made Lily nearly collapse ungracefully to the floor when she was released. James' quick reflexes allowed him to grab her in time and she remained standing.

She smiled gratefully up at him. "Thanks… for everything."

James smiled back and nodded. His throat had constricted with relief and a myriad of other emotions that hit him at seeing her back in good health. He led the two girls over to the couch and chairs where the Marauders were waiting.

"Good to see you, Lily. You look well." Remus arose from his place on the sofa to give Lily a hug and a place to sit. He sat himself in one of the nearby chairs.

Sirius also stood at her approach. He gave her a hug and kiss on the top of her head. "Welcome back, Lils."

Lily hit him playfully on the chest, while at the same time groaning, "Don't call me that. Ever." Her voice was forceful, but she smiled affectionately at Sirius.

"Hey, Lily," Peter said in greeting. He was not as gregarious around girls as the others – even around girls he knew well. Lily came to realize this was not a sign that he didn't like her but, more likely, a sign of respect for her and James, as Peter didn't want to do anything that could be construed as flirtatious or inappropriate. To try to break the formality some, Lily replied with a grin, "Hey, Wormy." It was a nickname that she had given to Peter as she slowly became more familiar and comfortable with each of the Marauders. The guys had laughed at first, but the name stuck and only Lily used it, making it special to them.

Peter blushed and smiled at what he knew was affection. He returned to his usual place on the floor as the others sat down as well.

"So?" James asked, looking at Lily with concern in his eyes.

"I'm fine. I might have the occasional nightmare, but who doesn't." Lily shrugged and attempted to sound nonplussed. She had considered asking Dumbledore to obliviate her memories, but felt silly and childish, and so swallowed her impulse. She would deal with the nightmares that came as she always had.

Gillette had taken a seat between Sirius and Lily on the couch, and after a minute, Sirius cleared his throat before asking the next question. "So… how are the… other patients?"

"Do you really care?" Gillette asked snippily. "Or do you just want to know what kind of damage you inflicted?"

"Whoa!" Sirius frowned and put his hands up defensively. "Sorry I asked."

After an awkward moment of silence, Remus asked, "How's Regulus?"

Gillette's eyes widened slightly. She groaned and let her head fall against the back of the sofa, covering her face with her arm. When she lifted her head, she looked apologetically at Sirius. "Sorry," she mumbled. "Though… still…" Shaking her head to stop herself from saying what she was going to say, she decided it was best to answer Remus' question, and Sirius' by default. "He's fine. Really, there was nothing wrong with Regulus that beating the snot out of something wouldn't soothe." Sirius chuckled lightly. "The others… There was actually talk of sending Bulstrode to St. Mungo's, but Dumbledore decided a good obliviate charm would work just as well. She couldn't fear what she couldn't remember, after all. The others are a bit freaked out, but they should recover."

The group fell silent and after a moment, Lily snorted quietly. When everyone looked up at her, she blushed and said, "Oh, sorry. I was just… Avery kept talking about straw wrappers." Gillette also let out a small giggle at this.

The Marauders exchanged confused glances and James finally asked, "What?"

Starting to laugh a little harder now, Lily explained, "You know those paper wrappers around straws that you get in muggle fast food restaurants?"

"Yeah," James said expectantly.

"Well… apparently Avery is afraid of them." Lily and Gillette burst into laughter.

Sirius chuckled, "You're kidding?"

"No. He kept going on about them trying to kill him," Gillette laughed.

"What about the others?" Peter asked.

"Oh, well, theirs were more… serious. Bulstrode was afraid of insects – en-mass. Um…" Gillette thought of the others.

"Nott was the one afraid of fire," Lily added.

"What about Snivellus?" Sirius asked.

Lily and Gillette exchanged meaningful looks. Unbeknownst to the Marauders, Lily and Snape had been friends since before she started school at Hogwarts. He was the only wizard Lily had ever met before coming to school. Their friendship had lasted, despite all odds, until the beginning of Lily's sixth year. It had taken a severe blow at the end of fifth-year when Snape had called her a mudblood and it never really recovered after that.

Gillette, being Lily's best friend, knew of the relationship and had not entirely approved of it. She could clearly see what Lily would not admit – that Snape was in love with Lily and that he was well on his way to becoming a Death Eater from the moment he had been sorted into Slytherin. Lily often made excuses for his behavior, and the two girls had had several fights about him; but in fourth year, Gillette decided she was done arguing about him and that Lily would see, in time, what Snape was really like.

Lily responded to Sirius' question, simply – "Rejection."

"Oi. Well," James snarked. "He should be used to that by now, shouldn't he?"

The group chuckled, except for Lily, who tutted but said nothing more about it.

After a few minutes of companionable silence, Lily asked, "So what's everyone studying?"

Sirius groaned and rolled his eyes, but the rest of the evening was spent accomplishing much in the way of classwork. The group took a break to eat a late supper, and then they were joined by the other Gryffindor seventh-years. The synchronicity they'd built in fifth-year returned easily as they worked and everyone was fairly satisfied with how much they had gotten done, agreeing they'd have to continue working together in preparation for their N.E.W.T.s.

Chapter 98

Christmas came and, surprisingly, most of the seventh-year Gryffindor class decided to stay over the holidays. A camaraderie had been built up over the years, and especially with the recent study sessions. With the war pressing so firmly on all of their minds, it seemed they all wanted to spend just a little more innocent time together, though Stacey and Leena had both gone home for the holiday. Leena had always been slightly removed from the group and Stacey was making sure she spent all the time she could with her family. It seemed that since her father kept his head down, he had not been threatened any further, but Stacey felt an urgent need to spend time with him anyway.

The first day of the holiday, Lily and Remus sat next to each other at breakfast, huddled over a piece of parchment.

"What are you two up to this fine morning?" Sirius asked, trying to sound suspicious, but not quite awake enough to pull it off. He and James had pulled an all-nighter the night before – just talking and wrapping Christmas presents. Well, James wrapped presents; Sirius, for once in his life, couldn't really afford to get anything for his friends.

All-nighters were something they did with increasing frequency of late. With James' busy schedule, he and Sirius had fewer opportunities to just hang out, so the late night hours made for convenient times to get together.

James, who had arrived with Sirius, slumped down in the seat next to Lily. He stared at his plate for a moment, not sure which he'd rather do first – get his Lily fix or attach the coffee IV. Lily took the opportunity to kiss his cheek and lay her hand on his leg. That took care of that problem, James decided, and reached for the coffee.

"We," Lily said, drawing out the "e" sound in her excitement and inclusion of Remus, "have come up with study schedules."

Remus smirked, knowing that her pleasure was only going to incite jokes. "And we decided on a room in which to practice the practical magic."

Sirius looked disbelievingly at the all-too-happy faces sitting across from him. "You two are sick. You know that, right?"

"Mmm," James moaned quietly and grinned, his eyes closed, his hands cradling his coffee.

Sirius shook his head in amusement. "I hope that satisfied grin is due to your coffee," Sirius ribbed his barely-awake best friend.

"Sirius!" Lily chastised, while blushing furiously, causing him to laugh out loud.

Peter approached the table with Gillette on one arm and Patty on the other.

"Well, look at you, Mr. Pettigrew," Sirius grinned at Peter.

Peter grinned back. "Merry Christmas to all."

"It's not Christmas yet." James frowned. His eyes were still closed.

"Well… but it's the holiday," Peter defended.

"Oh ignore him, Wormy," Lily said cheerfully. "He didn't get his beauty sleep last night."

The three newcomers took a seat with the others, shortly followed by Addison.

Addison glanced around the Great Hall. "Hey, I think we make up half the people that are staying this holiday – and that includes professors."

"So… What are we going to do?" Peter asked gleefully. This new arrangement worked out really well for him. When it was just the Marauders, he was usually the awkward one, the dumb one, or whatever adjective was the opposite of whatever currently described the others. He was also the one with the most free time, which he could never figure out, because Sirius wasn't part of any clubs. James was Head Boy and part of the quidditch team. Remus tutored – a lot. Lily was Head Girl and still attended the Slug Club meetings. Peter was even part of a club – the Gobstones Club. So how Sirius was always busy, he hadn't figured out. But now that all of the seventh-years were hanging out together, with, occasionally, other members of the very tight quidditch team, Peter almost always found common ground with someone, as there was usually someone else who had just as much trouble as he did with a class or a joke or whatever. After all, Gryffindors were known for their bravery, not their intelligence. He couldn't help but think their year was unusually gifted in the brains and talent department.

"Well," Sirius leaned in conspiratorially. "Lily and Remus have devised a way for us to have tons of fun. Go on," Sirius nodded in mock enthusiasm, "show them the schedule."

The newcomers looked curiously at Lily and Remus. Lily frowned at Sirius but, undeterred, she said, "We've come up with study schedules for… the…"

Addison and Patty groaned, but then, smirking, Patty reached across the table and patted Lily's hand. "Just teasing, sweetie."

"We'll start _after_ Christmas, of course," Lily said, sounding disappointed that no one was quite as thrilled as she was.

"Yippy," Sirius mumbled unenthusiastically, as he spooned eggs onto his plate.

Lily very maturely stuck her tongue out at Sirius.

After breakfast, the group of Gryffindors traveled outside. It had snowed the previous night, and the snow was perfect for a good snowball battle. It was just wet enough to stick and pack, but not too wet as to be slushy and melt immediately. The battle was a free-for-all with no teams and constantly shifting alliances. Whoever was covered in the least amount of snow was quickly pummeled, until everyone was wet and cold and ready to go back indoors. By the time they changed into warm, dry clothes, they were pleasantly surprised to see hot chocolate waiting for them in the common room.

The day was long, but certainly not boring. The group spent time playing games, chatting, napping – allowing themselves to be kids for just a little longer.

That night, Christmas Eve, they all gathered in front of the fire. The chairs and couches had been moved out of the way, but their cushions had been spread around the floor, allowing everyone to sit together, unhindered by any barriers. Sirius and Remus snuck out to gather some butterbeers, while Peter dug out their old wizard-wireless, and the room was filled with carols and contemporary holiday songs.

By the time Sirius and Remus returned, the group was discussing their Christmas traditions.

"We always do presents Christmas Eve," James stated. "Then, the next day we travel to old friends' homes. I think my parents are visiting some friends in Scotland this year." He was sitting on the floor, his arms wrapped around Lily, who was sitting in front of him, leaning against him.

"My parents are divorced," Gillette shared next. "So I spend Christmas Eve with my da and step-family. Then Christmas Day, I go to my mum's and spend it with her family."

"Cool. Two Christmases," Peter said, somewhat naively, and Gillette just shrugged.

The butterbeers were passed around as Patty spoke up. "Oh, we just do the Christmas morning thing. Nothing too unusual."

"Ug," Addison joined in the conversation. "My dad wakes us up at midnight. I think he gets more excited about the presents than we do." Addison sounded like the typical teen, embarrassed by his father's antics, but he smiled appreciatively just the same.

"Well, I can't wait to start my own family traditions," Lily said.

"Look-out there, Prongs," Sirius joked.

Lily blushed. "I don't mean right now. I just mean…" her tone took on a sad quality as she continued. "It will be nice to have a family to share the season with again." James gave Lily a comforting squeeze and she smiled up at him.

Remus quietly watched the group, smiling at the stories they told, but not commenting much. He'd been without his parents longer than Lily, but the longing was the same. He missed having family to go to and didn't hold out much hope that, like Lily, he'd ever get the chance to have one. He'd consider it a miracle if he ever found a woman that would accept him. But having a kid would just be irresponsible. He wouldn't want his own child to share the same fate that he had. It was during these morose thoughts that Sirius interrupted with something of a speech.

"Christmas, when I was younger, was the one time my family really felt like a family. That… changed when I came to school. But…I've learned a few things since my younger years."

"'Cause you're so old and mature now," James interrupted with a smirk, and soft chuckles filled the room.

Raising his butterbeer in a toasting gesture, Sirius smiled back, "Indeed." Growing serious again, he continued, "I've learned what it really means to be family. What it means to have people you can count on. People you disagree with and even throw the occasional punch at, but who love you anyway and always forgive. People who aren't concerned about blood-status and credentials. But are concerned that you're okay. At the risk of sounding like a Hufflepuff girl…"

"Too late," Remus snarked, because it was expected, and not at all because he disagreed with the sentiment. The sound of chuckling enveloped the room again.

Sirius raised his mug again, this time in an actual toast. "Thank you." He looked at his best friends, his eyes conveying the "everything" behind the "thank you" – the "I love you" and "you are my family."

Remus raised his mug. "To family." He locked eyes with Sirius, grateful for the reminder that he may not have blood relatives, but he was in no way alone.

"To family," was murmured by the others present, and the toast was consummated with the emptying of the mugs.

"Now," Sirius said, his familiar Cheshire-grin appearing. "For some kissing." Sirius flicked his wand and mistletoe appeared, dangling over each of the girls' heads, and at random places throughout the room.

The girls squealed and ran in different directions, pretending not to appreciate the tradition, and a quick game of cat and mouse followed. Everyone participated except Lily and James, who remained where they were, but for Lily turning so she was in a more comfortable position to kiss James.

The game quickly turned around, however, when Peter and Remus made no attempts to kiss Patty and Gillette. The two girls quickly teamed up to corner each boy and plant kisses on their cheeks.

"Well that's twice in one day you've had the attention of two girls at once," Sirius laughed, as the stunned Peter struggled to his feet, having been ambushed on the couch. "Who knew you were such a lady killer." Peter blushed and grinned in response.

Gillette turned to look at her best friend, who was still firmly attached to James. "Get a room, guys," she said, throwing a pillow at them.

"Or at least a broom closet," Sirius added.

The couple broke apart long enough for James to hurl the pillow at Sirius and inadvertently start a pillow fight. Much like the snowball fight earlier, it was every man for himself. A sofa cushion accidentally hit Lily and James, drawing them into the fray. The fight only stopped when Sirius managed to summon all of the pillows to himself. He levitated them above his head, preparing to hurl them at his victims, when Remus got in a tickle charm that had Sirius falling to the floor, his mound of pillows and cushions on top of him. This was quickly followed by a dog-pile, some minor wrestling, and eight teens lying on the pillows on the floor laughing and trying to catch their breath.

As they quieted down, drowsiness took hold, and they drifted to their dorms to sleep the night away, contentedly, and at peace.

OOooOO

A/N – Sorry again for the delay. And, for those of you who were kind enough to review, I will respond. I will, I will. And I'm sorry for not doing so yet. Hopefully in about a month, things will settle down a bit. Thanks for your patience and your continued support and kindness. And, of course, thank you to my wonderful betas – mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton. Love.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer - Same.

Chapter 99

Christmas Day passed much the same as Christmas Eve, with the small group of Gryffindors spending most of the day together, though Remus made sure to spend time with Madam Pomfrey. The Christmas feast was delicious and it was fun having the professors eat at the same table as they did for once. Even Hagrid joined them. Sirius and James were fascinated by the stories he told about the many animals he'd raised or just encountered over the years.

The conversation was pleasant all around the table and lasted unusually long into the night. Students and teachers alike slowly drifted from the table until only a handful remained. Talk became more serious when the Marauders inquired of Dumbledore about how things were going with the war. They still felt irritatingly limited on what they were told and hoped that, once they were out of school, they would be trusted with more. They did learn that Frank and Alice, were now fully qualified Aurors, as well as members of the Order. It was at this time that Lily and Gillette became official members of the Order.

The rest of the holiday was not as carefree. True to her word, Lily announced the study schedule and encouraged everyone to participate. While the studying did not occupy all of their time, it did take up a sizable chunk. Much to everyone's enjoyment, Remus had suggested that, at least over the holiday, they focus on the practical application rather than the studying. This kept things lively and fun.

The group spent a lot of time working on charms, for which Lily was the main tutor. They did Defense Against the Dark Arts, which consisted of Sirius attacking his classmates and requiring them to defend themselves. James made an excellent tutor here. Gillette and Addison made themselves available to answer questions regarding the Muggle Studies class. And the group found it very helpful to speak with Hagrid when it came to Care of Magical Creatures. Despite his fascination with dangerous creatures, he was rather knowledgeable about even the tame, "uninteresting" ones. This was the first time most of them had actually interacted with the giant of a man and they enjoyed their time with him immensely, though they quickly learned not to accept any food from him.

Once school started back up, the amount of time they had for practical magic study was significantly reduced, and they often had to practice in smaller groups. In addition, professors began piling on mountains of classwork that covered topics both new and old, in an attempt to help prepare the students for their N.E.W.T.s.

Nerves were running thin as the school year wore on, and it wasn't uncommon to see seventh-years – usually girls – run out of the Great Hall or Library in tears. The seventh-years looked forward to Hogsmeade visits, not because of the distraction, but because of the lack of distraction. With the other students away, they had hours of uninterrupted silence in which to get some studying accomplished.

It was not uncommon for the seventh-years to have study groups every night – between studying with their classmates or housemates and working on projects. Professors made themselves available once a week for students to come to them with questions – about anything, not just what had been covered in class that week – and they hinted strongly at subjects that were guaranteed to come up on the exams.

The only real distraction most of the seventh-years had was quidditch. And the main interest this year was whether or not team Gryffindor could hold on to its undefeated record and grab the cup yet again, assuring their team a place in the Hogwarts history books and a plaque in the trophy room. As of the end of April, Gryffindor had been able to maintain its status, leaving one game before the Quidditch Cup. Things were still up in the air, however, since Ravenclaw had had an unusually high-scoring game against Hufflepuff, making the fourth game win necessary for Gryffindor to ensure its place in the Quidditch Cup match.

The morning of Gryffindor's fourth game, Sirius received a formal letter from the Ministry. He frowned as he picked it up, wondering what it could be. Tearing open the letter, he read it carefully, taking in the words. Next to him, he felt James rise from his seat and tap him on the shoulder.

"Hey, you coming?" James asked.

"Huh," Sirius looked up at him. "Oh… In a minute."

James saw the distracted look on Sirius' face and grew concerned. "What is it? What does the letter say?"

Sirius looked up at James again, only half seeing him as his thoughts raced in his head. "My… uh… Uncle Alphard died." All eyes turned to him. The Marauders, Lily and Gillette recognized the name at once, as he was the only relative, besides Andromeda, that Sirius liked. Gillette reached out a hand and laid it on Sirius' arm.

"What?" James asked in surprise. "When?"

Sirius gave a derisive chuckle. "About a month ago, but nobody saw fit to tell me." Gathering up his anger, and therefore his will to move, he continued, "So, the reading of the will is today and I have to attend."

James cursed quietly, as Remus observed, "That came from the Ministry."

"Yeah. I probably wouldn't have even known about the reading except that I'm getting something, so I have to be there."

"Ouch," Lily said. "I can't believe no one told you. What? Regulus couldn't take two minutes to come over and let you know?"

Sirius shook his head. "Apparently not."

"How are you getting there?" Peter asked.

"I… don't know. I'll have to talk with McGonagall."

"You're not going alone!" James voice came out somewhere between a command and an incredulous statement. When Sirius looked at him questioningly, he explained, "You'll be surrounded by… by…" He wanted to say "Death Eaters." He wanted to say "the very people we try to avoid here at school." But he wasn't sure how to finish the sentence because they were still Sirius' family.

Sirius smiled appreciatively. "There will be legal big-wigs there. I'm sure I'll be safe. Besides," his tone became very serious. "You're certainly not going. You have a game to win."

James huffed, not liking the options. "Take someone else, at least."

"It'll be fine, Prongs. Really. They're not going to kill me in front of lawyers. Even they would have a hard time buying their way out of that one."

James growled in frustration. "Fine. But I don't like it."

"Understood. Now go. The team's waiting for you. I expect a full victory report when I get back." Sirius watched as James walked away. Lily joined James, though she looked back to bestow a sympathetic look on him, and they were followed by Peter and the remaining members of the quidditch team.

Remus stayed back a little longer. "Are you okay, Padfoot?"

"Yeah, fine." When Remus continued to stare at Sirius, he said, feeling like he needed to explain himself, "It's not like we were really that close. I hardly ever saw the man."

"But you were close enough for him to leave you something," Remus commented quietly.

Sirius looked down at the table. Actually, the news had been so unexpected, he hadn't had time to really think about it. "Yeah. I guess." Looking back up at Remus, he repeated, "It's fine. _I'm_ fine. Go on. I'll catch up later."

Remus held his gaze a moment longer before nodding and leaving as well. Sirius sat looking over the letter one more time, not realizing that he wasn't alone. When he moved his arm in preparation for standing, he noticed a weight on it. Looking over, he saw Gillette watching him, her hand still on his arm. "I'm fine," he said again.

"I'm not arguing," she said gently.

He stared at her a moment. "Go on," he said quietly.

Gillette shook her head. "I'm coming with you."

Sirius laughed at the statement. "No way. Do you know what kind of an uproar that would cause? The disowned son bringing a muggle-born to the reading?" Sirius laughed again. "On second thought… that might make things interesting."

Gillette smiled. "And hey, if they do try to hex you, you've got your own personal healer-in-training."

"Yeah," the smile faded from his face. "But what if they try to hex you?" He paused, then, trying to erase some of his worry, he joked, "I don't think you want me trying to heal you. You might end up with tentacles or something."

Gillette laughed lightly. "I'll be fine. Besides, I'll be in the company of one of the best duelers in the school."

"'One of!' Ha! Who can beat Sirius Black in a duel?" Sirius replied in mock-indignation.

"Well," she started off coyly, "I hear Prongs has gotten the better of you from time to time."

"Prongs! Those rumors are highly unsubstantiated." Sirius smiled again, enjoying the easy feeling of friendship – and perhaps more – that he shared with Gillette.

"So?"

Sirius sighed. "All right. Let's go talk to Minnie."

Professor McGonagall informed Sirius that things had already been arranged for him and his brother to leave from Dumbledore's office at 9:45 by port key. Since Miss Beynon did not have parental consent to leave the campus, she would not be able to accompany him. They tried to use the argument that Gillette was now of legal age, but McGonagall stated that as long as her primary address was with her parents and she was still attending school, she was still under their legal guardianship and needed their approval to travel off school grounds. So Sirius said goodbye to Gillette, stopped by his dorm room to change into more formal attire, then headed to the Headmaster's office.

By 9:30, Sirius and Regulus were sitting next to each other in silence as they waited for the Headmaster to arrive. The brothers had very little to say to each other these days, and even less that wouldn't result in an argument.

"So," Sirius braved breaking the silence, "Did you go to the funeral?"

Regulus glanced at Sirius. "Of course. It's what families do."

"Well, families also inform each other of relatives' deaths," Sirius shot back, the argument already starting.

"And everyone in the family was informed."

To Regulus' surprise, Sirius smirked. "You're getting quicker with the comebacks," he said approvingly.

Regulus looked at Sirius, fighting the urge not to grin back at the unexpected compliment.

"Well, sometimes anyway," Sirius added, when Regulus didn't comment.

Regulus shook his head, allowing him to look away, and hide the smile that was fighting to show. After a minute of silence, Regulus asked, "So, why are you coming today? I'm sure no one in the family told you about the reading."

Sirius frowned slightly, but didn't look at his brother. "I was sent a formal summons by the executor of the estate. I have, apparently, been willed something and have to attend the reading."

Regulus looked at Sirius in surprise. This was going to cause a stir. Well, unless the willed item was cursed or something, then the family would think it was a hoot. But Regulus was fully aware that Uncle Alphard was considered an oddball in the family and that he got along with Sirius.

Dumbledore arrived just in time, muttering something about an exciting game, and escorted the teens, via portkey, to the legal office at which the reading was being held. Sirius and Regulus were ushered down a long hall to a large, stately set of double doors. The chipper receptionist who led them knocked twice before opening the door.

Once the boys were inside, the executor turned to the receptionist, "That should be everyone, Claire." The pretty young girl nodded and, before closing the doors behind her, sent a flirtatious wink in Sirius' direction.

The instant the teens had walked through the doors, Regulus left Sirius' side, making his way to his parents. They were in a large conference room with an oval table, surrounded by various members of the Black family occupying its large, executive chairs. The room spoke of both professionalism and wealth, and was obviously meant to impress.

Sirius heard the rustle of disapproval when he stepped through the doors. He was even sure he heard someone whisper, "What is _he_ doing here?" He glanced around the room to find most eyes glaring at him, but he found the solitary pair that held kindness and a bit of sympathy.

Andromeda had also been summoned. He could guess, considering she had been burned off the tapestry, that the family had not informed her of Alphard's death, either. She had not been allowed to take a seat at the table, or perhaps she chose not to. In any case, she sat in a chair facing the table, but near one of the corners.

There was one empty seat left, at the table, and Sirius approached it.

"You are not welcome at this table, boy," Walburga stated.

"Apparently, Uncle Alphard thinks differently, but don't flatter yourself," Sirius replied coolly. He pulled the chair away from the table and scooted it next to Andromeda. Sitting down, he asked quietly, "How are you?"

"I'm doing well. Can't complain. You?"

"I'm doing well, too. I leave school this year." Sirius got a good look at his cousin. She had put on some weight, from the baby he figured, but it really only served to make her more attractive, rounding some of the sharp aristocratic edges of their shared genes. And she looked happy. "I'm sorry I haven't been by to see you and Ted. And the baby."

"Nymphodora." Smiling, she reminded him of her daughter's name. "She's beautiful. We'd love for you to come by and visit."

"Very well," the man in charge interrupted their quiet conversation. "Let's get down to business, shall we? I am Joseph Gamp, Esq. and I am handling the… uh… will," he finished distractedly, as he pulled out the appropriate paperwork. "I assure you that our firm subjects all legal documents of this type to the full battery of tests to ensure the document is, indeed, an original forged by its creator, or sufficient representative, and that it has not, in any way, been tampered with or altered. A full background check is also made to ensure the deceased was, indeed, of sound mind. And I can personally assure you that this document is genuine, binding, and final. Now," Mr. Gamp cleared his throat, nervously, if Sirius read the man correctly. "Alphard Black left very clear, and brief, instructions regarding his worldly possessions."

The executor cleared his throat once more and read, "'Having no heirs of my own, I have found myself forced to decide to which of you jackals will I leave my earthly belongings. Once I began to think about it, the decision was easy to make." The executor cleared his throat yet again. "To my lovely niece: I congratulate you on your intelligence. Though it doesn't take true intelligence to marry outside of one's family, it is a start in the right direction and I congratulate your decision and bravery. You also gave me quite a laugh, giving your dear old father a kick in the pants by marrying a muggle-born.'"

At this, angry muttering filled the room, and the wizard had to wait for it to quiet down before continuing. He schooled his features to remain void of emotion, but his voice was thick with contempt as he continued. It became obvious why he was the lawyer his family had chosen, since he clearly held their views of pureblood superiority. "'I don't think he's been the same since. Because only one with intelligence is really teachable – as opposed to arrogant, obstinate fools – I am leaving you my entire library, as well as my art collection. You are a wonderfully cultured woman and should be surrounded by beauty. As for everything else – all of my other earthly possessions, land, holdings, investments – it is all to be liquidated and turned over to the one person with the cunning to use it wisely – Sirius Black.'"

There was another angry outburst at this, though much more extreme. One person slammed his hand on the table, and several relatives left the room in a huff, heaping as many insults and curses as they could on both the dead man and the disowned teen.

Sirius sat in stunned silence, which eventually melted away into amusement at the reaction the news had caused. It took a lot longer for the room to settle into silence this time, and even took the lawyer stating forcefully in a raised voice, "Now, now. This is not the way to behave civilly, is it?" A few insults were hurled at the lawyer for this comment, but the room did quiet down.

Clearing his throat for the fourth time, Mr. Gamp said, "Well, the rest of the document can be read at your… uh… leisure, but that is basically all there is to it. If Mrs. Tonks and Mr. Black…"

"He is no Black," someone corrected. It sounded a lot like Bellatrix to Sirius.

"…would come with me, we can finalize things."

"Surely," Mrs. Black stood, her eyes dark and dangerous, "there must be something that can be done. He," she pointed at Sirius, contempt lacing her every word, "is no longer part of the family. We cannot allow Black possessions to be sold off or given to others."

Mr. Gamp's earlier uncertainty was covered by his confidence in the law and his firm, and he held his ground unwaveringly against Mrs. Black's frightening demeanor. "I'm afraid, Mrs. Black, that if Alphard wished to leave his belongings to his cat, that would be his prerogative."

"At least the cat would be a Black," Regulus, who had risen when his mother had, said under his breath. He was standing fairly close to Sirius, looking pointedly at him.

Sirius smirked at the comment, and thought he saw a glimmer of amusement in his brother's eyes.

"But…" Walburga began.

"I'm sorry, Madam, but there is nothing that can be done."

The receptionist arrived back in the room. How she knew to be there, Sirius wasn't sure, but she led both Sirius and Andromeda out of the room before any further comment could be made. Sirius suspected Mr. Gamp was protecting his firm against the possibility of being involved in a murder investigation if Walburga Black lost the battle to control her impulses.

An hour or so later, Sirius was no longer penniless, but rather back amongst the elite of society – not that they would have him, nor would he want to be part of them – but it did ease his worries about what he would do and where he would go when he left school. When he stepped into the lobby, he found Dumbledore waiting to return him to the school.

"Where's…" Sirius glanced around.

"Regulus? He has already returned," Dumbledore answered.

Sirius nodded. He hadn't realized it, but part of him had hoped they would return to the school together so he would have an excuse to walk a short distance through the corridors with him. Sirius sighed inwardly at the thought. How he could still hope for, or even want, a relationship with his brother was beyond him, yet he couldn't seem to shake the desire completely.

"Are you ready?" Dumbledore asked kindly, intruding on his thoughts.

Sirius nodded. "Yes, sir," and the two returned to the school.

OOooOO

A/N - Thanks again for your encouragement and patience. Thank you for taking the time to the wonderful reviews and letting me know your thoughts on the story. Thank you betas - mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton. Much love.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer - Same

Chapter 100

_He is an excellent storyteller_, Remus chuckled to himself as he watched James recount some of the great moments from the Quidditch game. Despite the celebration going on around them, or perhaps because of it, James had most of the room's attention. Though he remembered each play that James described, it came to life in a completely different way through the re-telling. Remus was no longer a not-so casual observer, but was right there in the action. He smiled and shook his head at how drawn in he was to the story.

Remus had been listening to stories a lot lately – how things were going with James and Lily, how Peter worked up to asking out his latest girl, Sirius' humorous encounters with several girls, spur-of-the moment hexes on unsuspecting Slytherins, and whatever else was worth telling. He wasn't exactly sure when the change started to take place, but, at one time he was there, in the midst of the action. Then life became busy. Pranking – the kind that took planning – all but stopped, studying became priority; he had long since put his heart in a box and didn't even consider dating. So he started listening. Listening and watching.

As he listened to James's story, he looked around at the faces of the people present. It was only then that he noticed Sirius had returned and was standing quietly near the portrait hole, leaning against the wall. Sirius was watching, too, and he was looking directly at Remus. Sirius nodded slightly, and Remus got up and walked over to his friend.

"Hey," Remus said quietly, so as not to disturb the room's attention. "How did it go?"

Sirius shrugged. "Fine. The family is the same charming group of people. But, it turns out Uncle Alphard had quite a sense of humor."

Remus spocked his eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.

Sirius grinned mischievously. "He left his library and art to Andromeda and everything else, once it's been sold, to me."

Remus stared at Sirius, eyes wide, mouth open a little. "You're joking!"

"No."

Remus shook his head and chuckled. "And they let you walk out of there alive?"

Sirius snorted in response, "Not by choice, I can tell you. I was beginning to think the plan was to kill me, though, when they started talking about everything going to the family cat."

Remus frowned in confusion.

"Nothing. Just a joke."

The two stood in companionable silence for a few moments before Sirius said, "I did get to see Andromeda, though."

"I figured, since you said she was willed something as well."

"Yeah, well… She looks good. Happy. Wants me to come visit."

"You should. You never know. You might become Nymphadora's favorite uncle."

Sirius looked at Remus in amazement. "How did you even remember that name? I couldn't remember it."

It was Remus' turn to shrug. "The name just kind of… stuck with me. Dunno why."

"You need a girl, mate," Sirius joked lightly, but he noticed Remus only frowned slightly and looked back at the crowd. "Has anyone gone for the butterbeers, yet?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah."

"Come on. I'm hungry. Let's go to the kitchens."

Sirius turned to leave, giving Remus no option but to follow. Otherwise, Sirius would be wandering the castle alone, and he didn't think that would be such a good idea. He thought about mentioning the food sitting on platters throughout the room, but decided against it. Sirius was typically pretty observant, and if he wanted to go for a walk, then food was probably not his primary objective.

The two engaged in small talk on the way down to the kitchens – catching up a little, laughing. Sirius grabbed some food, and the two headed back. It was during the course of this return trip that the conversation shifted.

"So how are you doing, Moony?"

"Didn't we already cover this," Remus asked with a chuckle.

Sirius frowned briefly. "You've just been… quiet of late... what's going on in that fuzzy little noggin of yours?"

Remus was taken by surprise. He had expected Sirius to talk about his uncle or death. To Remus' knowledge, this was the first person Sirius knew, personally, who had died. And he thought he might want to talk about it. He had not expected Sirius to inquire about his state of mind. Of course, he hadn't realized anyone had noticed a change. He'd barely noticed it himself. "You pretty much know everything that's going on. I've just been busy, between tutoring and studying…"

"Mmm… So you haven't given any thought to what's coming next? What happens when we leave school?"

Remus thought for a moment. In truth, he'd been thinking about the future a lot – when he wasn't studying. He felt as if he was in a perpetual state of waiting. Waiting for the next full moon. Waiting for exams. Waiting for "real life" to begin. Waiting. And because of the waiting, he didn't participate in the now. And because he didn't participate, he watched and listened and lived vicariously through his friends. Usually, it didn't bother him. Usually there was too much going on. And with N.E.W.T.s looming so close, nearly all his thought and mental powers were bent toward studying and preparing for the exams. He was well aware his chances of getting a good job were slim since he was a werewolf. But he hoped that if he put forth that extra effort and stood out enough, that someone might give him a chance anyway.

"Do you ever feel like you're stuck?" Remus began. "Like everything hinges on some future event that you're not even guaranteed is going to happen?"

"I don't like waiting in line," Sirius said lightly.

Taken aback, Remus asked, "What?"

"I don't like waiting in line," Sirius repeated. "It's boring and sucks the life out of me. But if I have to wait in line, I want it to be with my friends – so I know I'll have fun, get a few laughs, make the time pass easier."

Sirius could be so annoyingly right sometimes, even when he seemed to be coming from left field. "Sometimes, you don't have a choice. You have to stand there alone."

"So? That doesn't mean you stop living. Do stuff, so that when you're out of line and back with your friends, you have stories to tell."

"I haven't stopped living, Padfoot. I'm just busy."

"How do you make the Draught of Living Death?"

"Well, first you have to gather the asphodel in an infusion of…"

"The fact that you can rattle that off tells me you've studied way too much. Not living, mate."

"Padfoot," Remus said, somewhere between exasperation and tired defeat. "You will probably be able to get any job you want. Nobody is going to want to hire a… me."

Sirius smiled cynically. "_I_ want to be an Auror. That includes a background check. Do you know the likelihood of me actually passing a background check with my family history? My entire family is into the Dark Arts and supportive of Voldemort's ideas, if they haven't openly admitted to supporting Voldemort, himself. I'm not exactly a prime candidate for the Auror's program."

Remus hadn't really thought about that, but he argued, "You could still probably get about any other job. Like you even have to work."

Sirius laughed. "So failure to achieve my greatest aspiration is less… heartbreaking because I have other options?"

"Yes! No… I…" Remus stammered.

"Look. You're probably right. It would be easier for me to find something else to occupy myself. But… I don't want to just 'occupy' myself. I don't want to just stand in line. I want to enjoy what I'm doing and enjoy my friends while they're there with me. You, mate, are standing in line. Just… don't get so used to standing in line that you forget to leave once you've paid."

"I don't really think that's possible. Lines don't usually continue once you pay or get what you came for."

Sirius smirked. "It's an analogy, mate. Don't overanalyze. My point is you can get so used to waiting on the future to find fulfillment, that you can't live in the now. And for goodness' sake, get yourself a woman!"

"What does that have to do with anything? Why do I need a woman to be happy?"

"Not everyone does. But I remember how happy Aden made you."

"Yeah, and look how well that turned out," Remus mumbled.

"So she didn't. That doesn't mean there isn't _someone_ out there for you. Prongsy finally reeled in his woman. Look how happy he is."

"You should talk. I don't see you trying very hard to keep hold of Gillette," Remus retorted.

Sirius did a double-take that made Remus snicker. "We're not talking about me. And who says I need a woman, anyway."

"Riiight. All I'm saying is that the only thing keeping you from being an 'official' couple is that _you_ haven't made it official, yet! Keep pushing her off and you'll lose her."

"And I'm supposed to take relationship advice from a guy who hasn't looked at a pretty girl in two years?"

"I've looked," Remus said a little defensively. "I just haven't acted."

"Well, seems to me we've had this conversation… years ago. And, so you didn't get the perfect girl the first time…"

"Says you," Remus said solemnly.

Sirius snickered. "You're pouting. I thought only Prongs did that." Remus relented his point by chuckling. "Are you two still together?"

"Uh – obviously no."

"Then she wasn't 'the one.' That doesn't mean you stop trying."

"And what's your excuse?"

"I never claimed to have found 'the one.' And stop re-directing the conversation to me."

"Yeah, but you still haven't answered my question," Remus persisted.

"I didn't realize you'd asked a question," Sirius grinned.

Remus sighed in friendly exasperation. "_Why_ have you not asked Gillette out?"

"I don't remember you asking that."

When Sirius didn't say anything else, Remus said, in a louder tone than normal, "Well?!"

"Honestly?" Sirius asked. Remus rolled his eyes and nodded frustratedly. "As much fun as my life is, it's a quagmire and I don't want to drag a half-decent woman into it. Besides," Sirius looked straight ahead, his tone dropping slightly. "No decent woman would want to be a part of it."

It was Remus' turn to laugh, and Sirius frowned at him. "Sorry. You… think…" he was having a hard time speaking for laughing. "Sorry…" He cleared his throat. "Sorry. You think you're life is any more messed up than mine?"

"Well… no… But you deserve a good woman. And your only fault isn't really… well, your fault."

Remus frowned. "Wait. You… It's not that your life is messed up. You don't think you deserve a good woman." Sirius didn't answer. In all seriousness, Remus asked, "Why?"

"Like you, of all people, have to ask." When Remus continued to look questioningly at Sirius, he continued, "Never mind. The point is… Better living through vicarious living."

Remus snorted. "We're both pretty messed up. So. What are we going to do about it?"

"Get you a woman," Sirius grinned.

"Tell you what," Remus' eyes glinted. "I'll agree to go on a date with whomever you set me up with, IF," he held up his finger to emphasize his point, "IF you ask Gillette out."

"Well that's easy. We've already gone out."

Remus wagged his finger. "No, no. I mean, going steady."

Sirius' eyebrows furrowed. "Hmmm. How long do I have to find you a woman?"

"Well, considering May is upon us and studying is only going to intensify, I say it's best to wait until after N.E.W.T.s."

Sirius nodded. "Sounds good." And he shook Remus' hand. After a minute of walking in silence, Sirius snarked, "'May is upon us'? Who speaks like that anymore?" Eyeing Remus appraisingly, he continued, "I may have a harder time finding someone for you than I thought."

Remus punched Sirius lightly on the arm. "Git. By the way, I didn't know you knew the word 'quagmire.'"

"I am very well spoken when I want to be… berk, " Sirius said, his nose held snobbishly up in the air.

"You learned it that summer you were reading the dictionary," Remus joked, "…for fun."

It was Sirius' turn to pout. "It wasn't for fun. It was because I was bored – out of my mind! I'm not a masochist, like you."

They arrived at the portrait hole. "Murcus," Remus supplied the password. "So when are you going to ask her?"

Sirius shrugged. As they stepped through the portrait hole, he searched the room for Gillette. "Dunno."

Remus nudged Sirius with his elbow. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Really. Wouldn't want to be accused of having a feminine side," Sirius grinned, and the two took seats near the fire. The party was still going on, though it seemed "story-time" was over.

"Padfoot!" James called. "When did you get back?" he asked, glancing at Remus.

"Not long. How was the game?"

"We won!" James exclaimed. Remus and Sirius glanced at each other – a knowing look. James was so easy to distract sometimes. It didn't take long for James to launch into the play-by-play of the game, Sirius reacting perfectly at all the correct moments. Lily rolled her eyes, but she stayed close by, listening. James was, after all, a great story-teller.

OOooOO

A/N - Wow! Can you believe it? 100! Thank you for the continued support and wonderful reviews. Thank you to my patient and longsuffering betas - mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton. Love ya.

On a side note - you know, when I wrote this, I really hadn't intended to draw out the moment that Sirius finally asks Gillette out until the last possible second for the purpose of suspense or tension or whatever you want to call it. But now, it's actually kind of funny that it took so long. Hope it hasn't become annoying to y'all, though.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 101

Once the party died down, the Marauders were found on their usual couch and chairs, or in Peter's case, sitting on the floor, in front of the fire.

"I'm just saying," Sirius persuaded. "This is our last year and our last real chance to pull a prank like never before."

"Well, what did you have in mind?" James asked.

"And when do you think we're going to get time to plan something that big?" Remus wondered aloud.

"I don't know. And," Sirius looked crestfallen, "I don't know."

"Too bad we can't just write 'Marauders were here' somewhere," Peter thought offhandedly.

Sirius and James exchanged a look. "Wormtail," James said with mounting excitement, "That's brilliant."

"Who would have guessed," Sirius joked. "Just kidding. But that can't be all."

"We've already left clues throughout the castle as to the location of the Marauder's Map," Remus stated. "How much more do we need to advertise our presence?"

"No," Sirius held up a finger. "Now that was completely different."

"Right," James confirmed. "The clues were for someone like us. This… this prank is for the school – to know we were here."

"And to have a bit of fun," Sirius completed the thought.

The four teens stayed up late into the night brainstorming, their ideas becoming wilder and wilder. But by morning, they had a prank for the history books – two, actually – and just enough time until the end of the year to accomplish it.

Remus had been correct. The studying did intensify. It seemed that all the seventh-years did was eat, sleep, attend class, and study. They had neither the time, nor energy, for much more than that. And yet the Marauders made time – stealing minutes here and there to plan, to make sure everything was on schedule.

The last Saturday in May was the Quidditch Cup, and Stacey and James were beside themselves with nerves. The pressure of N.E.W.T.s only compounded the pressure of the Cup game, as well as the fact that winning this game would assure the Gryffindor team a special honor.

It was a bittersweet game played that Saturday. Gryffindor played one of its finest, though fastest, games against Ravenclaw, because the snitch was caught a mere ten minutes after the game began. It seemed to James almost anticlimactic. It had begun and was over so quickly that he'd barely had a chance to really get into the game and enjoy himself. Then it was done, and he would not be playing quidditch again, except perhaps for a neighborhood team, or to coach kids, if he ever had any to coach. It left him feeling rather empty, despite the victory and special award.

The plaque was presented on the field immediately after the game and it had the names of all of the players from the five years James had played. As he read the names to himself, memories of each person came back to him, as well as special moments with them. Since Stacey was the current team captain, she made a speech, accepting the award on behalf of all of the Gryffindors, and she made sure to give special notice to James, who had really been the one to build the team.

Long after the rest of the team had returned to the tower to celebrate, James sat on the bench in the changing room, leaning against the lockers with his eyes closed, taking in the smell of metal, sweat, and cleaning solution. Suddenly he stood up and grabbed his broom, then walked back out to the pitch to fly one last time around the field.

He wasn't really paying attention, when he was struck on the head with a quaffle. Looking around, he saw Sirius sitting on his broom, expectantly. With a grin, James pulled out his wand and summoned the quaffle back to himself. The two spent the next hour tossing the quaffle back and forth, making goals against an invisible keeper, reliving game moments and laughing.

When they finally landed, Lily, Remus and Peter were waiting for them. As they started to walk away, James turned toward the pitch again. Lily slid her arm around his and stood by him, waiting.

After a minute, she whispered, "You ready?"

He looked into her eyes and smiled. "Yeah."

When the couple joined the others, who had stopped a few meters away to wait, Sirius said, "Come on, mate. We have the rest of our lives to live." Sirius glanced meaningfully at Remus.

Remus smirked. "Not to mention studying." Everyone groaned at the reminder.

"Thanks a lot," Peter complained. "It had been a good afternoon."

"You know, we have the whole week off," Sirius commented. Seventh-years were given the week before exams off to give them extra prep-time.

"That doesn't mean we can waste it by procrastinating," Lily said sternly.

"Yes mum," Sirius said sarcastically.

"In fact, we're getting together tonight for more practice with Defense spells," Lily announced.

"Why do I never know these things?" Sirius complained.

"Because you block them from your mind," Remus said flatly.

"Oh right… selective memory."

"I wish I had selective memory," Peter said glumly. "Maybe then I'd be able to remember some of the stuff I'm supposed to. Honestly, I don't know how I'm going to pass."

"You did fine on your O.W.L.'s, Wormtail," James reminded him. "You'll do fine on these."

"I barely passed O.W.L.'s," Peter said frustratedly.

"But you passed," Sirius said cheerfully, trying to help his friend feel better.

"Don't worry about it, Wormy. Not everyone's a test taker." Lily also tried to comfort Peter and make him feel better about the upcoming exams. "Gillette and I are working on potions after supper tonight. Why don't you join us?"

"I thought you were working on Defense tonight?" James asked.

"That's later. Around eight. Honestly, don't you pay any attention to the schedule?"

"Not if we can help it," Sirius chuckled, while nudging James, who also snickered.

"Come to think of it," Lily continued, completely non-plussed by the guys' joking, "You should join us for potions, too. You'll need that one for Auror training."

James sighed heavily. "Fine, fine. We'll be there." Leaning in to whisper to Sirius, he said, "Really, it's the only way I can spend time with her right now. So at least there's that."

Sirius shook his head and smiled. "'At least there's that,'" he repeated.

For the next week, the group of seventh-year Gryffindors spent nearly every waking minute studying. They asked each other random questions, tested each other's spells, and continued to research any last minute questions that arose. They met in various classrooms so they wouldn't disturb anyone else's studying, being typically more rowdy than the usual independent studiers. Lily would occasionally be seen darting to the library for some obscure piece of information. Remus copied and re-copied copious amounts of notes – which Peter then picked up and reviewed. Gillette continued to spend part of her time at the hospital wing, which did nothing for her stress level when she thought she might have missed out on some important new information that Lily may have dug up.

James and Sirius, who were more energetic – or fidgety, as Remus called it – took to tossing a ball back and forth. The person with the ball asked a question. If the other person got it wrong, the first person would chuck said ball as hard as possible at the "failure." This lead to them being yelled at on occasion when the ball would accidentally ricochet and hit one of the other Gryffindors.

In the evenings, the group would get together to drill each other. By Thursday, James sat through part of the night's session glassy-eyed and Sirius, who had his head resting on the desk at which he was sitting, disconcerted the rest of the group by banging it on the desk each time someone got an answer incorrect. Tempers were running hot as the stress continued to mount and, after an hour of this, Peter practically refused to answer questions and Patty had had enough.

"Sirius! If you're so smart, you answer the question!" Patty said heatedly.

"It's seven, which is the number of completion, wholeness and perfection," Sirius answered coolly. "I'm not even in Arithmancy and I know that! Do you know how I know that? Because that question has been asked every night for the past week!"

Patty crossed her arms angrily, not having a comeback for what Sirius said.

"All right," Remus stood up. He sounded tired, but he spoke with enough force to get everyone's attention. "We need a break. Everyone take an hour and then come back here."

Sirius was the first one up and out the door. James looked apologetically at Lily, who nodded and gave him an encouraging smile, then James, too, was out the door to track down his best friend.

"You okay, Wormtail?" Remus asked.

Peter nodded, though he looked on the verge of tears. Exam time was the one time a year he dreaded, not only because he didn't do well on exams, no matter how well he actually knew the material, but because his friends were all incredibly smart. There was a reason he had not been placed in Ravenclaw, and he felt it was very unfair that he'd managed to become friends with people who would have done just as well in Ravenclaw as they did in Gryffindor. Even Lily was unusually gifted for a Gryffindor. Gillette was a little more average, but she worked hard and, for her, it paid off. He wasn't too sure about the others, since he'd never really tried to get to know them well.

"I'm surprised he lasted this long," Remus said quietly, to no one in particular.

"He could still learn a little patience," Lily said heatedly, knowing Remus was referring to Sirius.

"It's no more his fault that he picks things up quicker, than it is that Patty can't seem to remember the meaning of 'seven,'" Gillette defended.

"Of course you'd defend him," Lily replied frustratedly.

"I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just saying he's used to _doing_. And he doesn't even have that stupid ball to throw to James – who, I noticed, wasn't exactly into the questions either."

"Enough!" Remus interrupted the brewing argument. "That's actually not a bad idea."

"What?" both girls asked at once.

"Both of you, go take a break, but come back early, I have something I want you to do." Remus turned to Peter, who was the only other person still in the room, "Wormtail, can you help me?"

Peter looked skeptically at him. "With what?"

- - - - -

"Pads, wait up!" James called. Sirius was walking at a quick pace and James had to jog to catch up with him.

"Hey Prongs." Sirius stopped and rubbed his forehead.

"Headache?"

"Yeah."

"You know, I'm no expert, but banging your head on the desk repeatedly might have something to do with that," James snarked.

Sirius' eyes were closed, but he smiled. "Right," he sighed. "I'm just…" Sirius growled in frustration. "We've been over this stuff a hundred times."

"I thought you would have learned by now that not everyone is as brilliant as we are." The two friends started walking again, at a much slower pace.

Sirius snorted. "Yeah, well…"

"So why don't you take a night off?"

"And do what? Everyone else is still going to be at study group. Besides, I can't."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to… miss anything. I have to do well," Sirius said urgently. "The Auror program only accepts 'E' and above."

James considered his best friend carefully. Back in fifth year, when the students had to make their choices for professions, James really hadn't cared what he was going to do. He chose "Auror" because it suited him, he liked the idea of it, and because Sirius was trying for it. But Sirius _really_ wanted to be an Auror. At the time, James thought Sirius would lose his zeal for the idea – after all, Sirius did tend to be a little flighty at times. But James realized that Sirius still had his heart set on being an Auror. So though he knew the material for the N.E.W.T.s inside and out, Sirius was still stressing about the possibility of not making it into the program. James couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Sirius stress about anything, besides family.

"You'll do fine," James encouraged. "Come on, 'the professor' gave us an hour. I'm going to take a shower."

"I'm not taking one with you no matter how much you beg," Sirius grinned.

"Ha, ha. I meant – I will meet you after. We'll go to the kitchens and nic some food."

Just under an hour later, both boys were showered and had bags full of snacks for the night. They figured they'd better get enough for everyone. When they entered the classroom they had been using earlier, they saw Remus was bent over a desk examining pieces of parchment.

"What are you doing?" James asked curiously.

"We're going to play a game," Peter stepped up to the desk, clapping giddily.

James and Sirius exchanged glances. "Oh?" Sirius asked, spocking his eyebrow.

"I'll explain when everyone else arrives," Remus said distractedly. "There. Perfect." He straightened up, grinning.

Lily and Gillette entered the room, Lily carrying a box.

"Thank you, Lily," Remus said, his grin widening and his eyes glinting. It was a look few but the Marauders ever witnessed. And Lily laughed lightly when she saw it.

Once everyone was in the room, Remus called for their attention. "Okay, everyone. We're going to be playing a little game. As you can see," Remus turned toward the blackboard, "each subject is represented up here. I have split you into two teams to ensure that you have at least one person from every class on your team. That way there's no excuse for not getting an answer correct. Sirius and James – you are your respective teams' mascots." The two boys groaned, knowing this would not be good for them. "Now, here are the rules. Tonight is the team competition. A question will be posed to a team. After thirty seconds, the team has to give an answer. If they answer correctly, they receive a point. If they answer incorrectly, the other team is allowed to… alter… your mascot."

"What?" James and Sirius said in unison, while snickers were heard from a few others.

"You can either choose to perform a spell, or," Remus moved to the box Lily had brought. He lifted out a pale yellow bikini top, "You can decorate said mascot." Remus was trying very hard to keep a straight face, despite the laughing, and cries of indignation from his friends. "Shall we begin?"

There were two loud "no's" but a resounding "yes" from everyone else.

The group spent the next hour and a half playing the game, with Remus emceeing and Sirius and James promising revenge every time someone got an answer incorrect. At one point, Sirius muttered to James, "I think they're getting answers wrong on purpose." James nodded, but neither could do anything about it.

By the end of the night, Sirius had long blond hair and lovely manicured pink nails to go with his pink bikini top, lipstick, and rouge; while James' hair was still black, he'd been given a pixie-cut, hoop earrings, a purple miniskirt, fishnet stockings and stilettos that had to be enlarged to fit his feet. The boys had even gotten into the spirit of things and strutted down a makeshift catwalk every time something was altered.

As the others gathered their things and left, calling it a night, the Marauders stayed behind to help Remus clean up.

"Okay, you can return us to normal now," James said. "These shoes are killing me."

"Who said anything about returning you to normal?" Remus smirked and then took off, leaving behind a laughing Peter and a stunned James and Sirius.

"Moony!" Sirius bellowed, "Get back here this instant." When the instant came and went, he and James glanced at each other and took off after Remus.

"Wait, wait," James said. Sirius turned around to see James hopping on one foot as he took his heels off. Once both heels were in hand, James said, "Okay," and took off running again.

They had just reached the end of a corridor when Professor McGonagall appeared before them. James skidded to a stop in his fishnet stockings, almost colliding with the petite woman.

McGonagall gave them a once-over, then said, "Where do you think you boys are running to this late at night?"

"We're trying to find Remus, professor," James said, somewhat hurriedly, blushing at having been caught, literally, without his pants.

"You do realize you're not in… school robes?" McGonagall's voice cracked at the end, and the teens could have sworn she was trying not to laugh.

"Yes, ma'am. That's why we're trying to find Remus," Sirius explained.

"Mm-hmm. Please wait here one moment." Professor McGonagall disappeared into the room from which she had just come. Sirius and James exchanged curious looks, then scanned the corridor to make sure no one was coming. "Gentlemen," McGonagall said from behind the two. When they turned to face her, there was a bright flash of light and the distinctive click of a shutter. "Very well," she said as if nothing had happened. "You may continue your search for Mr. Lupin."

Both James' and Sirius' mouths dropped open and they blushed furiously at the thought of being caught on film. "Professor…" they began to protest, but McGonagall interrupted.

"And gentlemen, the next time I catch you running in the corridor in inappropriate attire, I'm going to have to dock points – especially you, Mr. Potter." McGonagall looked over James again, a definite smile trying to make itself seen. "Head boy, and all," she tsked, then returned to her room.

"I'm gonna kill 'im," James said, before taking off again after Remus.

- - - - -

A/N – Thanks again for the awesome reviews (and the many congrats)! Thanks also to my longsuffering betas - mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton. Love.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer - still not mine.

Chapter 102

The second night of the study game was more straightforward. Questions were answered player v. player style and whoever answered correctly won a point for his or her team. Everyone had a blast, despite the lack of incentive – a.k.a., let's see if we can humiliate James and Sirius. Most of the members of the group were naturally competitive, which extended even to unofficial competitions such as who can come up with the best insult and who can talk the most trash. They spent nearly as much time laughing as answering questions.

In the end, James' team, which consisted of James, Lily, Stacey, and Patty, won, though James wasn't too sure _he_ had won. The girls, outnumbering him, the only guy, wanted chocolates and a bouquet of flowers delivered to them in the Great Hall, as the prize for winning. James felt this was rather unfair and threatened the life of anyone who tried to present him with a bouquet in front of the Great Hall. He had a feeling that Lily agreed to the prize just to see what would happen.

Unfortunately, that would have to wait until after the exams were over. Studying intensified further still over the weekend. However, whether because they were Gryffindors and brave of heart, or because they all felt they had studied so thoroughly, the seventh-year Gryffindors were among the most composed students walking into their N.E.W.T.s on Monday morning. The week passed at a rollercoaster's pace – sometimes a slow, painful climb waiting for the next exam, and sometimes the minutes flew by at breakneck speeds. And by the end of the week, they were all exhausted.

At dinner Friday night, the usual after-exam talk broke out. "How do you think you did?" "I missed this question." "What answer did you put down for question number fifteen?"

Finally, James said, "Ugh. I don't even want to think about the exams any more."

Gillette piped up, "I was hoping the nervousness would leave after the exams were finished. Now, I'm anxiously waiting for the results." Patty and Addison murmured their agreement.

"Well," said Sirius, who was sitting next to Gillette, and scooping a rather large helping of mashed potatoes onto his plate. "There's nothing that can be done about it now."

"I know," Gillette groaned, absently poking at her peas. "I think that makes it worse."

Sirius snorted and gave her a quick one-armed hug and kiss on the head. "I'm sure you did fine."

"Mmm," was her reply.

Sirius was distracted by the pea that had just hit his head and bounced off. He glanced around to see Remus smirking at him. Sirius sent him a look, trying to convey, "Not now," and went back to eating.

"So, is everyone going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?" Peter asked. The seventh-years were allowed a final trip to Hogsmeade before they left the school. This was supposedly an attempt to help the students transition into the adult world. With none of the younger students around, the seventh-years were being encouraged to mingle with the adults, though they still tended to keep to themselves, making the attempt rather vain.

There were several affirmatives. "Yes. We have some last minute supplies to get," James answered grinning and wiggling his eyebrows playfully.

Addison caught the look that passed between the Marauders. "Are we going to be blessed by a final Marauder prank, then?"

"Of course," Sirius confirmed, then casually let a carrot fly toward James.

Dodging the carrot easily, James added, "We couldn't leave without saying goodbye, now could we?"

Lily raised an eyebrow and looked at Remus, who had just put a grape on the end of his knife, "And what, pray tell, are you going to do?"

"And ruin the surprise?" Sirius laughed.

"Ooo," Stacey squealed. "I can hardly wait."

"So are we all going to meet up at The Three Broomsticks for lunch?" Peter asked. He liked to have things planned so he knew what to expect. He saw the grape coming and stood up slightly to catch it in his mouth.

"Nice," Sirius grinned, while James clapped Peter on the back as he took a small bow.

Gillette shifted in her seat, and she and Lily exchanged a look. "Maybe."

"'Maybe?'" Sirius asked, and he stopped part way through tearing his roll in half. "What better thing do you have to do than spend your last Hogsmeade visit with us?" He finished breaking his roll.

Gillette shrugged. "I dunno. Get some rest."

Sirius gaped at her. "You're joking! Come on. It's our last Hogsmeade visit as students. You can rest all next week… You have to come." He was looking at Gillette and therefore missed the piece of chicken that thudded lightly against his chest and fell to his lap.

"Lily will be spending the morning with James. And Patty is going with Addison."

"Really?" James asked. Addison grinned, while Patty nodded enthusiastically. "When did that happen?"

"About two weeks ago, Prongs," Peter answered, shaking his head. His friends could be a bit oblivious at times. Then again, he had just been hit by three peas. At least he saw them coming.

"And," Gillette continued, "Stacey is going with Sylvan." She leaned marginally away from the table as a piece of roll was chucked past her face.

"Sylvan?" James asked.

"That Hufflepuff bloke," Remus supplied. He had a knife in each hand, both loaded with a grape.

"Congrats," Sirius called to Stacey.

"Thanks," she smiled back.

"And…" Gillette continued.

"And? Who else is there?" Sirius asked.

"Thanks a lot, mate," Peter said, chucking part of his roll at Sirius.

"Oh, sorry. Wait. You have a date, too?" Sirius asked, loading up his spoon with mashed potatoes.

At just that moment, a small, but firm hand gripped Sirius' shoulder. Before he had a chance to look around, he heard the familiar voice of Professor McGonagall. "Don't even think about it." And she moved on.

Sirius put his spoon down and contemplated his roll again.

Peter watched McGonagall leave, then said, while blushing, "And yes. I'm going with Regina."

"Honestly, mate. I think you've had more dates than I," Sirius smirked, then sighed. "Well, I guess that leaves you and me," Sirius said, indicating Remus. He stood, followed quickly by Remus and James.

Lily and Gillette both rose from their seats as Peter was pelted by a barrage of food that included roll, peas, and chicken.

Sighing, Peter mumbled, "Why is it always me?" He got up and followed the others, who were snickering as they walked away.

Lily came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder, "I don't know, Wormy. You're usually pretty observant."

They nodded and waved good-bye to the others at the table as they left.

"Yeah," James called over his shoulder, "But he's got the reflexes of a sloth."

Remus continued the conversation from earlier. "Well, I have something I need to do tomorrow, so I'm not going at all."

"Is tomorrow when you're going home?" Peter asked, and Remus nodded.

"See, now you have to go!" Sirius insisted as he turned to face Gillette. "I can't pick out flowers by myself, and I have to make sure to get an extra special bouquet for Prongsy."

James grunted at this comment.

Gillette smirked. "What's in it for me?"

"You'll be with me," Sirius smiled in that cocky way he had that actually looked endearing rather than obnoxious.

"I could be sleeping… in bed… and that's my incentive?"

"Yeah, she can see you there, too," Lily snarked, causing Gillette to blush and shove her into James.

"Re-healy?" Sirius asked, his cocky grin growing. But after a moment, he said, "It's not as good as the real thing, though."

"Are you asking me because you have no one else to go with or because you want to go with me?" Gillette asked, choosing to ignore his comment.

"I can always find someone else to go with," Sirius answered, and realized too late his mouth had gotten away from him again. He stepped in front of her, walking backwards so he was able to look at her face-to-face. "But - I want you to go."

"Hmm," Gillette smirked at him.

Sirius grinned. "I will make it worth your while."

"Oh really?"

Lily nudged James lightly, and the other Marauders continued to walk, but in a different direction, giving Sirius and Gillette some privacy.

"Sure," Sirius responded.

Gillette held Sirius' gaze. "And how are you going to do that?"

Sirius stopped walking and Gillette nearly collided with him. "Come with me and find out."

"I don't think you have a plan. You just don't want to go alone." Gillette looked at him skeptically.

"I'm wounded!" Sirius feigned. But after a moment, he asked, "What if I don't have a plan? It's our last trip to Hogsmeade. You have to be there."

Gillette sighed, feeling frustrated by the games the two of them played. "It's not like I'll never be able to go to Hogsmeade again."

"But you'll never be a _student_ going to Hogsmeade, again." Sirius took her hand in his. For some reason, he had the feeling he was losing this fight.

Gillette stared at Sirius for a moment. "Are we going somewhere?"

Sirius cocked his head to the side in a move that remarkably resembled a dog tilting his head to listen closely to some sound. "Hogsmeade?" he asked uncertainly.

"No. I mean – Are _we_," she emphasized the "we" both by intonation and pointing alternately at Sirius and herself, "going somewhere. Is this… relationship… going somewhere. I mean… there is something here, right? I'm not delusional, right?"

Sirius frowned. About a thousand thoughts were whizzing through his head. Yes, there was something there. He couldn't have asked for a better time to ask her out and fulfill his part of the agreement with Remus. On the other hand, this wasn't how he pictured doing it. And the timing wasn't good. Or maybe that was just an excuse. "No. You're not delusional," Sirius said quietly.

"Good. So?..."

"So…" Sirius scratched a nonexistent itch on his head and glanced around. "Now's not a good time."

Gillette nodded, more a gesture that she heard what he'd said and was processing it, than that she agreed. After a minute, she said, in a rather poor imitation of an American western accent, "'I ain't so afraid of losin' somethin' that I ain't gonna try to have it.'"

Sirius gave her a funny look, catching the meaning of what she said, but still amused by how she said it.

"It's a line from an old television western my dad used to watch," she said dismissively. "It just seems to fit here." Gillette sighed, "The timing… is never going to be right." Sirius was about to interrupt, but she held up her hand and continued. "We leave school and have to find jobs. We find jobs and have to find places to live. There's a war going on and who knows how long it's going to last. Then the war ends and everyone has to adjust to peace and find a way to deal with the loss. And by then we're 40, set in our ways, too tired and too broken to even want to contemplate starting something new."

"Well that's cheery," Sirius muttered.

"My point is – I don't want to wait. I don't want to watch the best years of my life pass me by because things _might_ be better tomorrow. Why not make them the best they can be today? You're the one who's always on about 'living life to the fullest.' I don't know what tomorrow's going to bring. I don't know if we'll last or end up breaking up and bitterly hating each other and making life uncomfortable for James and Lily because they're married but we're still their best friends so they feel obligated to invite us over for holidays, which puts us in the same room throwing cutlery and Christmas bobbles and -"

Sirius cut Gillette's ramblings off by leaning down and kissing her. The intended brief interruption extended into something more as Sirius maneuvered closer and wrapped one arm around her waist as the other trailed gently down the side of her face before slipping into the locks of her hair. Gillette, for her part, wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, one hand sliding up his neck, getting lost in his hair. When their lips broke apart, they stayed frozen in that position for a moment, mere millimeters from each other.

"What was I saying?" Gillette asked, her voice quiet and breathy.

Sirius smiled. "Will you…go to Hogsmeade… with me… tomorrow?"

Gillette looked up into Sirius' eyes. "Like… on a date?"

"Mm-hmm," Sirius nodded.

"As boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Yes," Sirius answered simply, no joking or sarcasm lacing his voice.

Gillette broke out into a smile. "Yes!"

"Good," Sirius smiled and kissed her again.

They broke apart a second time when they heard someone clear his throat near them.

"What?" Sirius asked, sounding annoyed, but the two teens immediately jumped apart when they turned and saw Dumbledore leaning against the wall, looking very intently at a piece of fuzz on his robe. "Sorry, sir, Professor… sir."

"Quite all right." Dumbledore stood up straight and looked at the two kids before him. "I do recommend you vacate the premise, however." Dumbledore leaned in conspiratorially. "Professor McGonagall is patrolling this evening."

"Yes sir,.. thank you sir," Sirius answered, and hurriedly led Gillette by the hand toward the Gryffindor common room, stifling snickers as they went.

Dumbledore watched them walk quickly away, smiling to himself.

- - - - -

A/N – The quote from the "old western" is indeed a quote – but not from an old western. Zoe makes that comment to Wash in the Firefly episode "Heart of Gold." And, apparently, I'm such a fan of Supernatural, I made a blink-and-you-miss-it reference to SN also, without even knowing it. Pretty cool, eh? Or maybe scary.

Oh, also – Gillette mentioned 40 as being old. _I_ do not think 40 is old, but then, I'm quickly approaching that age. However, I do figure that a teenager would likely thing 40 is too old to start a new relationship. Anyway… just thought I'd explain that a bit.

Thanks again for all your wonderful support and reviews and interest. Thank you all! And thank you to my wonderful betas – mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton. Love ya.


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer – Usual.

Chapter 103

Sirius and Gillette did not at all discreetly enter the common room. Rather, they were both laughing, having to use each other for support as they stumbled through the portrait hole. When they joined the others around the fire, there was an instant where Sirius wondered how much things would change now that they were officially together. To his great relief, they both slipped back into their old patterns of behavior, evidenced by Gillette walking over to Lily and whispering in her ear, and then the two girls migrating to another part of the room to talk.

When Sirius plopped down on the couch, James eyed him curiously. "What's so funny?"

Sirius chuckled. "Nothing. We just… had a little run-in with Dumbledore." Sirius looked over at Remus, grinning, "I fulfilled my part."

It took a second for Remus to catch his meaning, but when he did, he smiled and leaned forward, extending his hand. The two did the abbreviated version of the Marauders' handshake, and Remus said, "Congrats." But when he leaned back in his chair, he pulled a face. "Ew. That means I have to fulfill my part."

"Indeed," Sirius replied, spocking his eyebrow.

"What are you two on about?" James asked.

"Sirius and Gillette are officially dating, now," Peter said off-handedly while searching his bag for something.

The other Marauders stared at him in surprise.

"Honestly, Wormtail. You're a bit scary at times," Sirius said.

Peter looked up, smiled, and shrugged.

"How did you know that?" Remus asked.

Before Peter could answer, James butted in, "Wait. You two are official now?"

"Yuh." Sirius intoned casually, but there was a twinkle in his eyes as he glanced over at Gillette.

James laughed and jovially punched Sirius on the arm. "It's about time… Wait. So what's you're part, Moony?"

Remus and Sirius looked at Peter to see if he was going to answer.

Peter shrugged again. "I don't know that one… though… If I had to guess, I'd say it has to do with setting you up on a date."

"Blimey, Worm," Sirius shook his head in disbelief. "Creepy, that is."

"Yeah. I'm glad he's on our side," James chuckled lightly.

The girls came back over a short time later and the group made the most of the evening by doing nothing.

Then next morning, as everyone in the dorm room was getting ready for the day, Sirius looked over at Remus, who was being unusually slow in his morning routine. "Moony, do you want us to come with you today?"

"What?" Remus asked distractedly. "Oh. No. Really. It'll be fine."

The four teens went together to the common room, where Addison waved good-bye to them and headed to breakfast with Patty.

Gillette, who had been sitting on the couch, rose from her seat and came over to the guys. Sirius wrapped her in an enthusiastic hug and then backed her flirtatiously into a wall.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Come on Wormtail." Glancing back he said, "I think I've created a monster." Peter chuckled and the two walked through the portrait hole.

Once they left, Sirius said, "Hey."

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to talk with you… alone."

"Oh?" Gillette looked concernedly into Sirius' eyes.

"Yeah. Listen. Moony is going home today. Nobody's been to his house for… years, and he's just going to make sure it's still… livable and everything's in order for the summer." Gillette nodded. "I was wondering if…"

"If you could go with him," Gillette finished the thought. When Sirius nodded, she said, "Absolutely. I think it's a great idea. Can I help?"

Sirius smiled as relief flooded him. He had, again, been unsure if their new status would change the way they behaved. Would she become more possessive of their time together? He was glad to know she understood that his friends were a priority to him – not over her, but over a date. "Thank you," he said, giving her a small kiss of gratitude. He took her hand and, as they made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast, he answered her question. "I don't know. I'm not sure he's going to be happy about me inviting myself along, but I really don't think he should be alone, either."

"Are you going to talk to James and Peter about this, too?"

Sirius nodded. "But they both have dates, too."

"Well, I know Lily will be more than happy to help. I don't know Regina very well, so I can't say how she'll react."

"It's not like they have to go. You don't _have_ to go, for that matter."

"I know. But I want to help if I can."

"What if he… doesn't want you there?" It wasn't that Remus had anything against Gillette, but there was a difference between a guy's mates joining him for a task like this and his mates' girlfriends, no matter how tight the entire group was.

"That's fine. I was planning on sleeping anyway, remember?" she said with a smile.

Sirius pulled her into a one-armed hug and kissed the top of her head.

As they entered the Great Hall, they met up with Lily and James.

"Oi, Prongs," Sirius called quietly. He wanted to get James' attention before they sat at the table where Peter and Remus were waiting.

"Yeah." James fell into stride next to Sirius and the two girls stepped ahead of them.

"You know how Moony is going home today?" James nodded. "Well, he's been a bit off this morning."

"Think we should join him?" James asked.

"Exactly."

"Lily," James called.

"That's fine," she said as she turned to look at them. "Do you think he'd be okay if I went along and helped?"

Gillette winked at Sirius, who grinned back.

James said, "We'll just have to ask." Turning his attention back to Sirius, he asked, "Have you talked to Wormy about this yet?"

"Spending a bit too much time with Evans, mate," Sirius said, and James grinned sheepishly at him. "No. Haven't had the chance."

The two couples joined Remus and Peter at the table – James and Lily sitting next to Remus, and Sirius and Gillette across from them, next to Peter. "So Moony," Sirius began.

"Yes, Padfoot." Remus looked suspiciously at him.

"Prongs and I were thinking of joining you today."

"What?" Remus and Peter asked at the same time.

"You really don't have to," Remus said, shyly.

"We know," James cut in. "But we're your friends and we want to help."

"How come I wasn't told?" Peter asked.

"We just decided, Wormtail. But, you're more than welcome to join us."

"Don't I get a say in this?" Remus asked. He knew his friends were trying to be helpful, but he wasn't really sure he wanted them there. Some things were best dealt with alone.

"No," Sirius said flatly. When Remus only frowned at him, he added, "Prongs and I have more experience cleaning than most students here, I'd wager."

James nodded. "That's right. It's about time that skill was put to good use."

"That's what magic is for," Remus countered. "And what if I don't want you there?"

Sirius stared into his friend's yellow-hazel eyes. He noted that the bronze was starting to show through, a testament to how emotional Remus already was about this trip – that and the full-moon was just a few days away. "You really shouldn't be alone."

"Fine," he conceded, though grumpily.

"Good. Wormtail, you don't have to go. You can go to Hogsmeade with Regina," James assured Peter.

Peter hesitated for just a moment, "No. No, I want to come."

"Lily and Gillette," Remus said, "are you coming too?"

"If that's okay," Lily answered gently.

Sighing, he said, "Yes. Fine." He got up and left the table, mumbling to himself as he went.

"This is going to be interesting," James said as he watched Remus walk away.

"Maybe we shouldn't go," Gillette offered, referring to herself and Lily, and Lily nodded in agreement.

"All right," Sirius agreed. "We'll catch up later, then."

The guys said good-bye to the girls and followed in the direction Remus went. They knew he was going to use the fireplace in Madam Pomfrey's office, so they went there to find him. He was waiting for Madam Pomfrey to return from breakfast when the guys caught up with him. They sat down next to him and waited, none of them speaking.

After five minutes, James said, "Wormtail, did you tell Regina you wouldn't be going today?"

"Are you kidding? In the Great Hall? Not a chance."

"Don't you think maybe you should tell her?"

Peter looked uncertainly at them, hoping they wouldn't make him go. For all the girls he'd gone out on dates with, he'd never gotten used to saying no – or confrontation of any kind. And he didn't fancy one now. But seeing that his friends weren't going to let it go, he sighed. "I'll be back."

After he left, Sirius chuckled, "How much you want to bet he never makes it back?"

"No bet there," James answered, shaking his head and grinning.

Fifteen minutes later, Madam Pomfrey arrived and Peter still had not returned.

She smiled, seeing Remus' friends there with him. "Ready, dear?"

Remus glanced around and nodded. "Yes." He really just wanted to get this day over with as soon as possible. He wasn't sure how he was going to manage living in the house after school. This was a good test, he supposed.

Madam Pomfrey held out the floo powder for each of the boys to take. Remus went first, followed by Sirius. Then, just before James left, he said, "Peter might be coming."

"Don't worry. I'll send him along, too."

James nodded and then swirled out of the fireplace to his destination.

- - - - -

Remus nearly fell out of the fireplace into his home's living room. He took a few steps into the room and, not wanting to get soot everywhere, he used his wand to clean himself up. Then he turned around so he could do the same to whoever followed him through the flames.

Sirius was the next to arrive and, had Remus not been so unsettled, he might have laughed at his friend's ungraceful arrival.

"Ow," Sirius groused, putting his hand to his head. He, too had practically fallen out of the fireplace, only his height prevented him from getting far. Instead, his head collided with the mantle, ricocheting him back into the fireplace before he could gather his bearings and step out with much more of his usual grace.

"Let me see," Remus said quietly, grabbing Sirius by the arm and dragging him out of the way in case James came through as gracefully as the other two. When Sirius moved his hand, he had a line across his forehead that was quickly working itself into a decent-sized knot. Remus smirked in spite of his mood. "I should let you keep that, you know."

"Yeah," Sirius said. When he frowned, it scrunched up the developing bruise. "Ouch." He reached up with his hand, but Remus smacked it away. "But if you left it, I'd be complaining the rest of the day and you'd only get more pissed than you are now."

Remus grunted in agreement. "Don't move. And don't touch it."

James arrived then to see Remus letting go of Sirius' head and walking away.

"Yes mum," Sirius replied.

"You don't move either," Remus said to James as he left the room, mumbling about soot and getting things dirty.

Sirius and James grinned at each other. "He's so cute when he's pms-ing," Sirius snarked.

"I heard that!" came Remus' voice from the other room, causing Sirius and James to snort in laughter.

"What'd you do to your head?" James asked, pointing in the direction of Sirius' head.

"Damn mantle."

"Ah." James shook his head, smiling at his friend's misfortune.

When Remus came back, he was carrying a small round canister that contained some kind of balm Sirius had only seen in the hospital wing. He put some on his finger and wiped it across Sirius' forehead.

"Gentle with the goods there, mate," Sirius complained.

Remus glared at him for a moment before poking him on the head, right at the center of the bruise. Though James smirked, Sirius decided it might be best to keep his mouth shut.

Remus put the container down on the nearby end table and then turned back to clean the soot off of his friends. Once that was done, he looked around the room.

It was the first time since he arrived that he really looked at the room. It was exactly the way he remembered it, but for a thin layer of dust. Dumbledore had told him that he had sealed the house, so there shouldn't have been much to do to get it ready. Remus made his way around the room, picking things up here and there to examine them more closely, and to remember.

"Moony," James said gently.

Remus looked up at them. They still had not moved from their places. "Right. Um. Why don't you two clean down here and I'll take the upstairs."

"Okay," Sirius said, glad to have something to do. "I'll take the kitchen."

"You know there's no food there," James called sarcastically after him. Sirius didn't turn around, but gestured rudely at his friend, and James chuckled. He looked over at Remus, who was still looking somewhat dazedly around the room. When Remus made eye contact, James' stomach lurched for the unguarded pain he saw there. He couldn't imagine what Remus might be going through, and he didn't know what to say or how to help.

Remus broke eye contact and took one last look around before heading out of the room and to the stairs. He had seen the look of surprise and, perhaps, pity that crossed James' face, but he couldn't deal with a conversation right now, so he left.

It was weird to walk through the house again. It felt both familiar and foreign to him, like something from a dream. He knew exactly where everything was; there were no surprises or secret rooms or doors, and yet the house felt alien and empty. It was void of smells – the smell of cooking, the smell of garbage left too long in the kitchen, the clean smell of soap in the bathroom, or the perfume smell of candles. Until Sirius began moving things around in the kitchen, there was also the same lack of noise. The house lacked life.

Remus reached for the first door handle on his right. This was his bedroom. He walked in, looked around, and couldn't help but laugh a little. He'd grown up so much since the last time he'd been here. He had a small bookshelf that was filled with books. He had a few of his favorite story books on one shelf and just as many, if not more, historical books on the second shelf. Sirius would undoubtedly have some snide comment about how nerdy he was, even as a child. On top of the bookshelf was a pile of puzzle books, all of them complete. He found his wizard chess set; the old pieces actually greeted him when he reached for one. There were a few discarded school items that he'd left when he'd last returned on holiday.

Remus set to work cleaning the room, but noted to himself that he'd have to gather quite a few boxes. Much of what was in his room could now be given away or just thrown out. After he finished with his room, he cleaned the linen closet and then the bathroom. Each area became progressively more difficult to clean as memories piled on top of each other – each a reminder of the life he'd lost – and weighing him down. He could remember hiding in the linen closest and burying his face in towels; he loved the smell of the clean towels fresh from the laundry. He remembered that he used to pretend there was a secret passage from the linen closet to his parents' room – because a proper house had to have secret passages. In the bathroom, he remembered playing in the bathtub, as embarrassing as it would be to admit it now, but the memories still filled him with warmth and joy and longing. He could remember standing next to his father, pretending to shave as his father did, or watching his mother put on make-up, though he thought she looked beautiful whether she wore any or not.

By the time he was finished with the bathroom, Remus felt like Jacob Marley's ghost, carrying around a heavy chain that made his feet drag. And as he approached his parents' bedroom, it took all his will to move forward. His parents' room had been a place of sanctuary, even more so than his own bedroom. After all, nightmares could find him in his own room, but once he crawled into bed between his parents, nothing could find or hurt him any more. Or so he once thought.

Walking into this sacred room stole his breath away. It looked exactly as he remembered it, though why he had expected it to look different, he wasn't sure. After a moment, he remembered. This was the room in which his parents were killed. Someone had come in and straightened it up– most likely Madam Pomfrey. While he could appreciated the gesture – he really didn't know how he'd react to blood-stained sheets, floor, and walls that he could see in his mind's eye – he felt that the complete lack of evidence that anything had gone awry was somehow insulting to his parents' memories. Instead of memorializing the atrocity of what had occurred and how it had affected his life, the clean sheets and bedroom looked as if they were just waiting for his parents' return – like they were simply on holiday.

Remus crossed the short distance to his mother's chest of drawers. On top were a collection of things Remus had made as a child. They were embarrassingly ugly, but she had insisted on keeping them as a reminder. He picked up an odd clay statue and tried to remember what it was even supposed to be. Failing to do so, he set it back in its place and turned around, examining the rest of the room. He walked over to his parents' closet. He could remember a time when he swam in his father's robes, and his dress shoes flopped loosely behind Remus when he tried to wear them around the house. While his father's robes were still large for him, he was surprised to find that, now, he and his father were not so different in size. Remus probably had a little more growing to do, and might even outgrow his father. He was reminded again of how much he'd changed since he last saw his parents.

His parents' dress robes were pristine, and he fingered one of his mother's, he was unable to remember a time she had ever worn it. She really hadn't needed many since, later in life, she spent more time with muggles than wizards, and no one from the wizarding world would invite his family to a function anyway – because of him. Once again he pushed aside these thoughts, and the feelings they aroused, from his mind and cleaned the room.

It had become quiet downstairs, and Remus figured James and Sirius were finished already. They had less space to cover between the two of them, and Remus wasn't exactly working as quickly as he could. He was just stepping into the hallway when he heard the front door open. There was a creak and a _woosh_ as air rushed through the house, the seal broken for the first time in years, and it almost felt as if the old house sighed, finally occupied and able to breathe again – the house, itself, wanting to shake the deadness off and start living again.

Remus came to the last door on the upstairs landing. This was the extra room and he remembered the sense of pride his parents had once held that they could afford an "extra" room. There, at one time, had been a bed in it in case they had company. However, a few years after Remus' attack, the bed had been removed and the room was converted into a hobby room. It was cluttered, full of sewing supplies, yarn, and knitting needles, books of all kinds, coloring books, crayons and markers. There were maps, newspapers, magazines, and a compass. Each of the members of the Lupin family were represented in some way by the things in this room. Remus ran his hand over a few items, picking a few more up here and there. He smiled occasionally as memories came back to him – things he'd tucked away, but were given free reign today.

Remus' eyes roamed the room and came to rest on a map of Europe on the wall with red, yellow, and blue pins in it. The blue pins, which far outnumbered the red, were the places his father had traveled. The red pins were the places Remus had been allowed to go as well. The yellow pins affixed articles or an image or just a word to the map. These were locations his father had planned to travel, hunting down rumors of things that would help cure his son.

Emotions roiled and battled as Remus fought for control. The map seemed to have ignited a fire in him and the feelings he'd been pushing to the side all day bubbled and boiled for release. Remus forced himself to look away, and ran both his hands through his hair. He took a deep breath and tried to find something to focus on – something that would help him push the feelings back a little longer so he could clean this room as well. When he thought about it later, he realized it would have been better for him to leave the room, but that did not occur to him at the time. So when he scanned the room, his eyes fell on a half-finished sweater his mother had been working on. He picked it up, needles and all, and ran his hand over the wool. He saw that the last row his mother had been working on was complete. She never liked to go to bed without at least finishing a full row.

Remus held the sweater tightly as he looked around the room once more. He could hear the front door open a second time, and the air from outside breezed through the house. As it did, it awoke some of the lingering smells that had been deadened by the flat air. As he stood clutching the sweater, a slight shift in the air wafted the smell of his mother, from its resting place on her chair, to his nose. And Remus couldn't maintain the barrier of stoicism any longer. With a grunt, he chucked the sweater as hard as he could, only for it to land, very unsatisfyingly, with a gentle and nearly imperceptible thud on his father's desk. Far from relieving anything, this only served to frustrate him more and, with a sweep of his arms, he wiped the desk clean, knocking everything to the floor. The resulting crash did much more to soothe, as well as encourage, the raging within, and he turned next to the map, tearing it from its place and chucking it. It collided with the standing lamp across the room and both fell to the floor.

Sirius and James were in the kitchen when they heard the first crash. With a quick glance at each other, they simultaneously sprinted up the stairs. Slamming open the door to the room Remus currently occupied, they surveyed the room. Both of them moved toward their friend, just as he let fly the map.

"Moony!" James called, as Sirius grabbed Remus from behind.

Using his superior weight, Sirius maneuvered the struggling Remus to a bare wall and pinned him against it. "Stop it, Remus. You don't want to do this."

Remus laughed, or sobbed, Sirius wasn't sure which, and continued to struggle. Sirius kept him pinned so he couldn't destroy any more possessions, but he murmured words of comfort to his friend in his soothing baritone voice. Remus eventually stopped fighting, though he was still breathing heavily, and Sirius loosened his grip, but otherwise didn't move. After another minute, Remus nodded, his breathing almost back to normal.

"You good?" Sirius asked, wanting to know if he could let go completely.

Remus nodded again. "I'm good."

Sirius stepped back, but kept a hand on Remus' shoulder. As soon as Remus had turned to face him, Sirius pulled him into a hug. James stepped over and mussed Remus' hair.

When Sirius let go, Remus took a step back. "Sorry," he said sheepishly, looking at the floor. "I just…"

"Lost it," Sirius finished. Remus nodded and Sirius continued. "And this is why we didn't want you to come alone. Sirius knows best."

Remus snorted. "Thanks."

"Why don't you let Prongs and me take this room?"

"Yeah," Remus nodded, his voice still coming out choked, and he allowed Sirius to push him toward the door.

When Sirius looked back, James said, "I got it, Pads. You go."

Sirius nodded and slung an arm over Remus' shoulders. "Come on. Madam Pomfrey left us food. That blessed woman thinks of everything."

"Hey!" James called out from the room. "Don't eat it all!"

On their way to the kitchen, they passed a small table that had a letter resting on it. Remus frowned when he saw it, and picked it up. By the time they reached the kitchen, he had the letter open and had begun to read it.

"What's that?" Sirius asked.

"Uh… It's a letter from Dumbledore. Says he took the liberty of casting a few spells to make the basement as secure as the shack."

Sirius had come to read over Remus' shoulder. "Excellent!" Sirius exclaimed. The letter mentioned cleaning out the chains in the basement since they would no longer be necessary. "Speaking of cleaning out…" Sirius began tentatively and went back to making sandwiches. "When are you planning on going through all of your parents' things?"

Remus sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I dunno," he said tiredly. "I'm not even sure I can live here. It…"

"…holds too many memories," Sirius finished and Remus nodded. "That's how I feel about Grimmauld Place. I don't know how I'd feel to have to live there again – even if my parents were gone. But it's safe at least. This place, I mean."

"I know. And really, where else am I going to go? I can't exactly go to the Shrieking Shack every month, now can I?"

Sirius shrugged. "Where do other werewolves go during the full moon?"

Remus' face hardened considerably at the question. "The ones that don't actively seek prey?" Sirius looked up at him and nodded. "There's a whole underground community. But… they're not exactly safe. I mean, they don't try to keep people from getting in… or leaving."

Sirius had always known that Remus was different. He was a werewolf among "normal" students most of his life. But for some reason, Sirius had not realized how different Remus was from the rest of the werewolf community. He had heard stories from his parents about what those places were like, but it wasn't until now that he considered the stories might be true and not just more propaganda.

"Well, we'll help you clean things out, if you want."

As James entered the kitchen, Remus said, "I think I've had enough fun for one day, thank you."

James raised his eyebrow, wondering what he'd missed. Sirius shook his head slightly to let him know he'd tell him later, so James turned to Remus, "I got everything cleaned up, but… I couldn't put the map back the way it was. Most of the pins fell out and I have no idea where they go."

Remus waved a hand dismissively, "Don't worry about it. That will be one of the first things to go."

After lunch, with the rest of the house cleaned and inspected, the teens had nothing left to do. James had gone outside to make sure everything looked good from there. He said he didn't think there was anything a few coats of paint couldn't handle – and a goat, seeing as the lawn had not been tended to in several years. That inspection done, they decided to return to the school.

When they arrived back in the hospital wing, Remus told the others to go on ahead. He was emotionally wiped and just wanted to sleep, but he also felt an inexplicable need to see Madam Pomfrey. They really didn't talk about much as he helped her replenish her stocks and organize her supplies in preparation for the school year ending. But her company was enough to comfort him in ways his friends couldn't; after all, sometimes a boy just wants his mother, and she was the closest thing he had.

- - - - -

A/N Jacob Marley is the first ghost to visit Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." Also, I know that Remus visited the house over one of the holidays with Madam Pomfrey, but it was a quick visit and he was able to stay detatched last time. (That's my theory anyway. :) )

Thanks again to all who read, review, and encourage me. Thank you. Y'all rock! Thank you also to m'lovelies – mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton.


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 104

Everyone reunited at dinner that night, with Remus returning from his visit with Madam Pomfrey, and Peter returning from Hogwarts with the rest of the seventh years - including the girls. Since Sirius had not been able to make it to Hogwarts, Gillette took the initiative in making sure their team bought the bouquets and chocolates for James' team. The prizes were handed out with much pomp and circumstance, leaving the rest of the school, not for the first time, wondering what was going on. James was spared being given a bouquet, only to have the girls from his team "take pity" on him and each spare a flower to put in his hair, which Remus kindly braided into a crown (the flowers, not the hair), garnering jokes, not only about James' head adornment, but also about how Remus even knew how to braid.

Much of the last week at school was spent in this fashion – with teasing and laughter – the only interruption being that halfway through the week was a full moon. The Marauders, except for perhaps Remus, were looking forward to this. It was their last chance to run free and howl at the moon – figuratively and literally – and they made the most of it; and the best part was that, with no more classes to attend, the Marauders were free to sleep the following day away.

As the week came to a close, there was an air of anticipation hanging over the castle. Not only was everyone excited to leave for the holiday, but the student population expected the Marauders to pull at least one final stunt before leaving.

For their part, the Marauders remained fairly quiet during the last week. This was the first year in quite a while that Gryffindor was in the lead for the house cup and they didn't want to do anything to jeopardize their chances of winning. They figured they were honor-bound to help their house at least this once. It had helped that James and Lily, fellow Gryffindors, were also the Head Boy and Head Girl. Not that Lily was more lenient on her house than any other, but rather she had a taming influence on one of the chief trouble-makers of the school who, consequently, didn't cost his house quite as many points as he usually did. He, in turn, tamed the other chief trouble-maker, who didn't find things as fun when he was doing them alone – not that Sirius couldn't have found someone to pull pranks with, but "someone" was not James.

So with the arrival of the end-of-the-year feast, anticipation was high among the student body, and the Marauders were almost giddy with excitement. The House Cup winner was always announced at the beginning of the feast and the usual honor that was bestowed was having their colors displayed for the entire evening.

Dumbledore stood at the front of the student body to give his traditional end-of-the-year speech. "As yet another year comes to a close, I look back on our class of departing seventh-years with particular wonder. You entered school young and innocent," here Dumbledore glanced briefly in the direction of the Marauders. "Mostly anyway," he said with a smirk. "And you've had to overcome a mountain of obstacles – not unheard of, but certainly not the norm. You have all suffered tragedy – from the loss of parents and loved ones, to fellow classmates – friends. As you step into tomorrow, remember to be wise in your choices, work hard for what you believe, be strong and courageous when you face trials, and be shrewd in your dealings." Though his voice remained light and had the quality of a grandfather passing wisdom to his grandchild, his eyes flashed with hidden meaning, imperative in its warning. "Remember this: we are – all of us – wizards here." There was the barely hidden sound of scoffing that emanated from one side of the Great Hall. And while several pairs of eyes flickered in that direction, an unspoken agreement kept anyone from acknowledging it. "So go forth and create that brighter tomorrow we all hope to see. Now," the mood shifted and the spell was broken. "It is time for the awarding of the House Cup. This year's winner is..." Dumbledore flicked his wand and the school banners fluttered in a magical breeze. "Gryffindor!" The banners changed from the usual school coat-of-arms to the red and gold Gryffindor standard and cheers broke out in the hall.

The cheers had just about died down, when another breeze blew through the hall, causing the banners to flutter. A sonorous roar shook the room, and suddenly the gold embroidered lion from each banner leapt off the material and began prancing and prowling around the hall. This caused a few of the more skittish students to initially scream, but most students ooo-ed and awed the glittery lions as they moved about the hall, some occasionally pouncing playfully like giant kittens which, to Sirius' dismay, caused several girls to giggle and coo at the lions.

"They were supposed to be ferocious man-eaters," Sirius harrumphed, crossing his arms over his chest and making Gillette laugh.

"They've matured so much over the last seven years, haven't they," she said teasingly to Lily, who also chuckled at the pouting Sirius.

A quick kiss wiped the pout off his face, and it was his turn to tease. "Mmm. Maybe I should pout more often."

"No! Please," Lily rolled her eyes. "And no," she said, directing her statement at James, though concentrating on filling her plate with food, "It won't work for you either."

The lions sauntered around the hall for approximately thirty minutes and, just when a few students were finishing up and preparing to leave, Remus muttered another incantation.

James prodded Sirius' shoulder. "Here it comes."

The girls returned their focus to the lions and watched as they rose into the air, crouched simultaneously wherever they were, and then took off at a full run straight into each other. With a loud boom, the lions collided and exploded into a giant gold and red firework that sent sparkles fluttering lazily onto the heads of the rest of the student body, and for just a moment amidst the glitter, the words "The Marauders were here!" were visible hovering in the air.

Applause broke out among the students and even some of the teachers.

"You've got to give them credit for style," Dumbledore said to Professor McGonagall over his chalice.

"I must admit, that was not what I was expecting," McGonagall conceded.

Professor Flitwick, who had nearly toppled out of his chair in enthusiastic applause, said, "That was really quite an impressive display of magic!"

McGonagall raised her eyebrow. She had to admit it was impressive. The amount of control it took to create the lions, give them personality, and cause the explosion and mingle the words in with the illusion, was exceptional, but it was not what she was expecting the final prank of the infamous Marauders to be. Having been their Head-of-House for seven years, and having doled out more detentions than she could count, she had a sneaky suspicion that this was not the final word from the boys. But a short time later, they rose from the table and left, and she had to concede that might be all there was. She found herself feeling strangely disappointed. It appeared she owed Slughorn ten Galleons and a drink at The Three Broomsticks; after all, they'd be leaving in the morning.

Time was always short the morning everyone left on holiday, and it seemed the students were in a rush, only half paying attention to what they were doing and where they were going. The teachers watched with mixed emotions as the students wolfed down their breakfasts. They each had personal favorites, though they would never admit it, and McGonagall was no different.

Professor McGonagall felt an immense sense of accomplishment as she watched her seventh-years from the staff table. She knew that she had prepared them, to the best of her ability, and many would go on to achieve amazing things. She also felt worry for this particular class. Though the war had been going on for some years now, and a lot more had happened than the general population – and especially the students – had been privy to, this year the war seemed especially personal. Perhaps it was because several of the students she had come to know the best from this year had, almost all, been directly affected by the war. Miss Evans – well, she supposed she could refer to her by name now – Lily's parents had been killed, as had Remus'. Sirius had been disowned for siding with the Order, or at least for holding to the same beliefs. And James was in the middle of it all, not to mention he'd been attacked defending his friend. And the whole group seemed to shelter the Pettigrew boy – allowing him to remain the most childlike and innocent. Or so it seemed.

She, of course, had other students from other houses that had been equally affected by the war, but these were _her_ kids – _her_ Gryffindors. She was especially proud of them. It was in the midst of these thoughts that she noticed the all-too-familiar behavior from the Marauders. They alternated between huddling together and trying to act normal, which meant they cast furtive glances at each other while trying not to laugh. She allowed herself a brief smirk as she realized she would not be owing Slughorn those ten Galleons after all. Since they were no longer officially students of hers, she decided to just sit back and enjoy the show.

- - - - -

Sirius glanced quickly at Remus, "Did you…"

"Yes!" Remus responded in an exasperated tone. "Honestly, one more word and I'm going to curse you so you go blind and miss everything."

Sirius frowned, but said nothing.

Gillette put her hand on Sirius' knee. It had started bouncing, seemingly of its own accord, and the motion was making her nauseous. Deciding to focus on something far away rather than close up, hoping to ease the motion sickness, she looked over at the Slytherin table. "Oo, Parkinson doesn't look too good."

Sirius' head snapped up and he scanned the Slytherin table, a grin spreading across his face.

James, too, looked over at the table, grinning. "He's not the only one," James whispered.

Remus, who was sitting across from James, and therefore had his back to the Slytherins, watched Sirius' and James' reactions to gage what was going on, while Peter kept casting glances over his shoulder.

There was a slight commotion as the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs also noticed that something was amiss. More and more Slytherins appeared to be falling ill. A few of them gagged, though none actually vomited. Then, ever so slowly reality seemed to shift, nauseating more than just the Slytherins. Watching the Slytherins was like looking at living works of art by Dali as their features melted and morphed into something else, or rather, someone else.

When the shifting ceased, everyone stared in awe at the Slytherins. The table had been divided into roughly four sections. In each section, the students sitting there now resembled one of the four Marauders, meaning that there were approximately fifteen Sirius look-alikes, fifteen Jameses, fifteen Remuses, and fifteen Peters. Once the shock of what they were seeing had passed, chaos broke out. The majority of the student body was laughing, but there were shrieks of horror from the Slytherins – most of whom dashed out of the hall, or attempted to. A few found their clothes were now too big for them, tripping them up; but the majority were in clothes that were entirely too small, making movement near impossible, though sitting still didn't help either, as buttons popped and, in the worst cases, robes tore in the bodies' needs for room to breathe. These wardrobe malfunctions only served to increase the laughter among the rest of the student body and the humiliation of the Slytherins. Then there were the few unlucky souls who had received a mixed dose of the Polyjuice Potion that laced every item of food and drink on the Slytherin table. Those students had to be escorted to the hospital wing because their features would not stop shifting, unable to decide which form to take.

When the Marauders finally got up to leave the Hall, those students who remained gave them a standing ovation and they took a bow. For the rest of the morning, students approached them to congratulate them or ask questions about how they'd managed it. James and Sirius, ever the storytellers and much more comfortable in the limelight, fielded most of the questions, but the train was waiting and no one could linger as long as they wanted.

The Marauders, Lily, and Gillette walked from the castle and down the road toward Hogsmeade. They watched as other students passed them, James reminding a few of the party at his house later that night.

"I feel like we should say something – take a moment and give some sort of speech about what we've learned and what our future holds," Lily said, looking back at the castle, as she walked hand-in-hand with James.

"Meh," Sirius uttered. "Dumbledore already took care of that."

"I agree with Lily," Gillette said. "It feels like a chapter of our life is closing. What will the next one bring?"

"Jobs," Peter offered.

"Adventure," Sirius added, his eyes glinting with excitement.

"Danger," James said, grinning, and mirroring Sirius excitement.

"I think that was a rhetorical question," Remus stated.

"Oh," Sirius looked downcast for a moment, then smiled again. "A Party!"

"Firewhiskey," Peter said, following Sirius' lead.

"Marriage," James blushed shyly and glanced, sidelong, at Lily, who blushed back.

Sirius groaned and rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the smile that spread across his face.

They really had a lot to look forward to. And with their best mates at their sides, and good women, they were out to conquer the world as they had the school.

As it turned out, due to the magical mishap at breakfast, this was the first year in the history of Hogwarts, that the scarlet steam engine was late in its departure. And the Marauders could not have been more proud.

- - - - -

A/N - Well, folks, that be the end. I feel like I should say something profound, but I don't really have anything. I cannot thank you all enough for your support and encouragement. I have been so immensely encouraged by you all. You literally kept me posting and I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. I look forward to hearing from you all and I'll miss you. Thank you!

I do have plans for a "Book Three" covering the years from school to November 1981. It is a matter of getting them on the computer. I don't want to promise anything, but I do really _want _to 'finish' the story - I just... lack discipline.

Anyway - Thank you all very much! Thank you to all who come later and join this adventure. Thank you!

Thank you also to my betas. I literally could not have done it without you. You've inspired, corrected, suggested, helped me keep continuity and all around made the story better. You've also pushed, prodded, and nagged and I can't tell you how much I'm grateful for it. (Seriously, if I ever do get to and finish book three, it's because of J.A.Carlton.) Thanks for listening to my insecurities and a few out-there ideas. Thanks for being honest, too. Thank you – Mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton (if you're an SN fan - go see her stuff). _applause here_

Thank you to all you writers who have come before. I know I've been influenced by what I've read from others. Plus, with out my forerunners, there wouldn't be such an awesome site on which to post. Thank you.

Finis.


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